It's a temporary cap, but it means that thousands of Porter Ranch, Los Angeles residents can return home. SoCalGas has begun the process of permanently capping the leak of the huge natural gas storage field first detected on Oct. 23.
The capping of the 8,000-foot-deep leak in the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Field, the largest natural gas storage field west of the Mississippi River, was achieved earlier than predicted.
"A relief well that was drilled toward the base of the leaking well -- beginning Dec. 4 -- finally reached its destination on Thursday (Feb. 11), the utility said," write Melissa Pamer and Kareen Wynter for KTLA5. "That had not been expected till late February."
Our initial post about the leak on December 16 stated that the leak "is not expected to be repaired for months, as incredible as that may sound."
“We have temporarily controlled the natural gas flow from the leaking well and begun the process of sealing the well and permanently stopping the leak,” said Jimmie Cho, SoCalGas senior vice president of gas operations and system integrity, in a statement [PDF].
Porter Ranch residents who relocated -- at the utility's expense -- because of odors from the gas leak were notified that the leak had been halted Tuesday, the Gas Co. said.
The next step is for state regulators with the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) to "confirm the leak is halted and the faulty well shut down," write Pamer and Wynter. "[R]esidents will have eight days and seven nights to return to their homes."
Unlike other major leaks, such as the historic Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from April 20 to July 15, 2010 (less than three months) that killed 11 oil workers, spilling almost 5 millions barrels of oil, the SoCalGas leak was not from a production well but from a storage facility.
FULL STORY: Porter Ranch-Area Natural Gas Leak ‘Temporarily’ Stopped Nearly 4 Months After It Started

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont