Bayou Corne Sinkhole To Double In Size


The Bayou Corne Sinkhole continues to grow in Louisiana.

The sinkhole in Assumption Parish received national attention (but not national help) earlier this year when a YouTube video went viral. The video, called “8/21/13 Slough In,” showed the sinkhole expanding and swallowing an entire row of trees.

Officials in Louisiana were hoping that the viral video would lead to some federal aid but John Bourdreax, a local official working to contain the sinkhole, said that he’s still waiting.

Bourdreax said: “My estimate for just gas removal is three to five years from now, and we’ve been in this event for a year… It’s quite frustrating, the amount of time it’s taken to get things accomplished.”

The Bayou Corne Sinkhole has grown to about 26 acres over the last year and officials expect the sinkhole to double in size. At the moment, the sinkhole in Assumption Parish is swallowing trees and swampland but it is beginning to threaten a nearby fishing town. According to Fox News, the sinkhole is growing in a southwest pattern which is in the opposite direction of the town.

Still, officials are hoping to stop the problem before it gets any worse.

The Bayou Corne Sinkhole opened up last year after a salt mine owned by the Texas Brine Company collapsed. It is now more than 350 feet deep at its lowest point and officials aren’t sure how to stop it.

Patrick Courreges, policy analyst at Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, told The Verge: “I use the BP oil spill and the difficulty of working in 5,000 feet of water for comparison… It took five months to get that thing under control. We’re dealing with 5,000 feet of rock.”

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