Bayou Corne Sinkhole Expected to Double in Size

Ongoing activity near the sinkhole at Bayou Corne that started a year ago, leads experts to believe that it will double in size. It has taken a year to grow to it’s current size of about 26 acres. Experts say they expect the monstrous sinkhole to double in size to 50 acres, according to Fox.

Homeowners in the area around Assumption Parish in Louisiana have been keeping a watchful eye on the sinkhole since it’s appearance last August. Those anxious homeowners received some welcome good news. Fortunately, the hole is opening in a southwest pattern, which is the opposite direction of neighborhoods in that area.

The activity that is going on includes a giant crack on the south berm, which developed this weekend. There was also increased seismic activity at the site. The sinkhole began when an underground salt cavern collapsed, according to Fox.

Previously, seismic activity will be reported, then the sinkhole burps up debris and then a slough-in happens. Burps occur when air and gas from deep in the sinkhole bubbles up. It can cause debris and an oily substance to float to the top. A slough-in is when the sinkhole swallows trees and land that is on the edge of the sinkhole.

Bubbles were spotted in Bayou Corne and Grand Bayou in June 2012. Two months later, the ground opened up and left what is now the 24-acre sinkhole. Residents were evacuated and the most affected residents began receiving weekly checks from Texas-Brine, the company that owns the salt cavern that collapsed in the amount of $875 per week. Many have not been back.

Before the latest flurry of activity, the state announced that it will be suing Texas Brine for environmental damages caused by the failed Texas Brine cavern. Both sides agree that the situation is far from over, but for the moment, the focus is on another danger, and that is natural gas gathering underneath a nearby aquifer.

We will have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for this sinkhole. WebProNews