Responding to renewed reports of a natural gas odor wafting through the Porter Ranch area, Southern California Gas Co. officials insisted Wednesday there is no indication of any more gas leaking from the Aliso Canyon storage facility.
“We have conducted an investigation of facility operations and no potential source for odors at the Aliso Canyon storage facility were identified,” according to the Gas Co.
Complaints about a gas-like odor began surfacing Wednesday. Sam Atwood, spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, told City News Service the agency began receiving complaints around 7 a.m., and received about 40 by mid-afternoon.
“We have inspectors and air monitoring staff inside SoCalGas’ facility and in the community trying to determine the source of odors, meeting with complainants, taking air samples for analysis in our laboratory and checking readings from our continuous air monitors that have been deployed in Porter Ranch for the past several months,” Atwood said.
“So far we have not found any specific source of odors.”
Atwood said two air monitors — one inside Aliso Canyon and one in the community — have detected slightly elevated methane levels, but not dramatically so.
The elevated readings were around 3 to 4 parts per million, slightly above the typical reading of 2 parts per million, but well below the 40 parts per million detected when the leak was active, Atwood said.
The Aliso Canyon facility has been the target of derision among Porter Ranch residents since one of the wells at the site began leaking on Oct. 23. The leak continued for four months until SoCalGas was able to drill a relief well, allowing them to intercept the leak and plug the faulty line with cement. The leak was initially contained Feb. 11 and declared sealed Feb. 18.
In the meantime, thousands of Porter Ranch-area residents moved out of the area into temporary housing funded by the Gas Co. The temporary housing program was expected to end last month, but a state appeals court panel issued a stay, requiring the Gas Co. to continue paying for the housing while it reviewed the case.
The appeals court Wednesday issued an order extending the housing program through at least April 27, when it has scheduled a hearing on the issue.
Attorneys for the city and Los Angeles County have argued that residents should not be forced to return until thorough testing can be done at homes to ensure there is no lingering health danger.
“This is a major victory for our residents who must have the assurance that it is safe to return to their homes before the Gas Co. terminates full reimbursement of relocation expenses,” County Supervisor Michael Antonovich said.
Los Angeles County health officials began conducting indoor environmental testing at 100 homes in the area last month.
Gas Co. officials said a private contractor had already conducted similar tests, and found no elevated levels that would present any health danger.
— Wire reports