The mysterious and alarming bayou sinkhole may be related to flammability of nearby tap water. See updated maps, diagrams and photos of the expanding sinkhole.

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BACKGROUND: Last Spring Louisiana's Corne and Grand Bayou residents noticed strange bubblings in the bayou for many weeks, and they reported smelling burnt diesel fuel and sulfur. Then suddenly a sinkhole the size of three football fields appeared on Aug. 3, swallowing scores of 100-foot tall cypress trees. The sinkhole resulted from the failure of an abandoned underground brine cavern. The Department of Natural Resources issued a Declaration of Emergency on Aug. 6, and 150 families were evacuated. 

For maps, diagrams and additional information, see the previous articles in this series:

Alarming Sinkhole Continues to Cave In: Seismic Activity, Odors, Health Symptoms Reported (Oct. 30, 2012) at click here

Mysterious Bayou Sinkhole Continues to Cave In: Radiation, Hydrocarbons Detected (Sept. 29, 2012) at click here

Dangerous Levels of Radium at Corne Bayou Sinkhole (Aug. 26, 2012)  at click here

Does Sudden Sinkhole Portend a Nuclear-sized Explosion? (Aug. 17, 2012) at click here

Flammable Tap Water

A video,  "Faucet water found flamable in Napoleonville man's home" was posted by http://enenews.com on Nov. 1st.

In the video, Ronald Pate, who lives about 4 miles from the Bayou Corne sinkhole, says he contacted the Department of Environmental Quality when he realized the water in his faucet was flammable. The sound track of the response by Chris Piehler  of the DEQ is included in the video: "He just happened to have stuck a well into the water and is pulling water out of the ground in a very natural state and it has methane gas in it."

Pate responded, "I don't think it's natural if you got enough methane to come out in your water ... if you can light it like that," and noted that he has seen more bubbles in his water since the sinkhole first appeared (on Aug. 4, 2012.)

The enenews.com article and video can be seen here:  click here

Earlier Predictions About Water Contamination

On Oct. 2, WJBL radio interviewed Environmental Attorney, Stuart H. Smith  said that Texas Brine has been misleading, calling it "a typical case of corporate malfeasance," and that "they applied for permits to dispose of radioactive and other wastes from the State Government, claiming of course that it was safe ... (now) the material is leaking into the environment." 

Smith also noted that some geologists are predicting the collapse of the entire dome.  

"These domes traverse several  significant freshwater bearing water zones that are very important to the drinking water supply of that area ... my big fear is significant ground water and  drinking water aquifer contamination from this."  (See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKm2Z9GkAHs&feature=youtu.be)

Sinkhole Size Comparison

On Aug. 3rd, the size of the sinkhole was said to be approximately the size of two football fields. The size as of Nov. 1st has not been described in terms of football fields, but these photos show it has clearly increased and may be twice as large or greater.

Diagram of Recent Cave-In

The diagram below was released on Oct. 31, showing the area of the 20-ft by 80-ft area that caved in on the east side of the sinkhole on Oct. 30, just a week after a "short duration, pronounced seismic event was recorded at the site." (Note: red lines were enhanced for clarity at this size.)

Diagram Irregularity

This diagram of the expanding sinkhole dimensions was released on Oct. 14, and it appeared in my most recent article in this series,  Alarming Sinkhole Continues to Cave in: Seismic Activity, Odors, Health Symptoms Reported  (Oct. 30)  at click here .   (Note: this diagram does not include the area that caved in on Oct. 30) At the time I did not notice that there was an irregularity with this diagram.

The larger dimension of 635' (the black diagonal line from the lower right to the upper left) is difficult to see in most versions of this image. Oddly, the color selected to show this largest dimension was almost the same color as the background. If this was done to create confusion, it was successful. However, the "635" becomes easily visible when the background around it is lightened in Photoshop, which was brought to my attention by enenews.com  ( click here )

Foliage Comparison

The foliage around the sinkhole appears brown and lifeless. This is apparently not due to changing of the seasons, since  greenery visible in the background of the photo taken Nov. 1 appears normal. (Both images are still shots from flyovers.)

This article is an update. Please see earlier articles for further information.

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.