29-Acre La. Sinkhole Gulps More Trees, More Disastrous

Correction: The infamous Louisiana sinkhole is 29 acres now, not 26 as this article originally stated.

The Louisiana sinkhole disaster grew even larger Wednesday, according to officials who advised at 6:25 PM CT that the gigantic 29-acre sinkhole again burped and swallowed more land, this time almost taking a well pad with it.

“At approximately 3:45 this afternoon, a burp and slough-in occurred on the sinkhole,” Assumption Parish officials said in a written statement.

According to the officials, debris is present and floating on the sinkhole and trees near Pad #3 sloughed in.

The giant 5-acre hole appeared in August 2012 and has been spewing dangerous chemicals ever since. It was 400 yards in diameter when first discovered, after months of locals compaining to the state environmental and related agencies that methane was bubbling and earthquakes were happening. The chemical hole prompted a mandatory evacuation in early August that has been in place since.

“A slight odor of hydrocarbons is present in the Bayou Corne community,” officials say after today’s slough-in and increasing in size.

The sinkhole formed when an underground salt cavern collapsed in the 1-mile by 3-mile Napoleonville Salt Dome storage facility for fossil fuel-related industries. 

A pattern has been noted in regard to the sinkhole’s growth spurts. In the past, seismic activity is reported, the sinkhole burps up debris and more chemicals, and a slough-in happens – bringing down hundred-year-old trees and whatever else is around.

Workers are risking their lives in attempt to stop what seems unstoppable. Earlier today, officials had given the all clear for workers to be on the job there. Many have requested and others have demanded that government and industry protect these workers by halting all work in and near the site. These assertions have fallen on deaf ears, and seemingly will continue to do so until serious injury or worse occurs. 

This scandal should be enough for any American with regard for human life to dismiss Gov. Bobby Jindal’s aspirations to be president of the nation, critics say.

“Burps” happen when air and methane gas from deep in the sinkhole bubble up. It can cause debris and an oily substance to float to the top and begin seeping throughout the nearby Cajun communities. A slough-in is when the sinkhole swallows trees and land on the edge of the ever expanding sinkhole.

The swampy area has over 100 places, including in neighborhood yards, where methane is percolating and seeping in underground cracks, crevices and an aquifer.