There are numerous reasons why the proposed expansion of the Jefferson Island Storage and Hub facility (JISH) should be stopped. After reading this, you’ll know why we’re fighting to save Lake Peigneur.
Drinking water quality
AGL’s proposed expansion of JISH will require over 7 billion gallons of fresh water from the Chicot Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for the area. The leaching of the two new salt caverns will yield a by-product called “brine”, which is super-saturated salt water.
AGL will pump the brine by-product through a disposal pipe into the sediment below the Chicot Aquifer. If there is breach in the disposal pipe (science proves that salt water corrodes metal brine water could leak out into the Chicot Aquifer, contaminating the drinking water supply of Erath and Delcambre.
Also, the displacement of 5.18 million gallons of water a day from the Aquifer could draw the un-drinkable brine by-product, pumped under the Aquifer by AGL, up into the Aquifer and contaminate the water supply.
Explosion
There is an ever-present risk of a gas explosion. In 2005, 29 salt storage caverns were registered with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). 1 out of 3 of those had catastrophic accidents.
In 2004, Moss Bluff, Texas experienced a major explosion. A single emergency shut-off valve failed during cavern de-watering operations. The cavern had just been expanded using the solution mining under gas (SMUG), or leaching, process. When the valve failed, gas blew out of the cavern and ignited.
The fire at Moss Bluff burned for 4 days with a 400-foot heat radius. A 3-mile area was evacuated due to the accident. Fortunately no one was injured; however, Moss Bluff is a very rural area.
Lake Peigneur has approximately 5,000 residents within a 3-mile radius of the JISH salt caverns. A repeat of the Moss Bluff incident at Lake Peigneur would undoubedtly lead to loss of property, and perhaps, life
Casing failure
What man can make, can break. Casing is a combination of metal pipe and cement used to cap and secure the stored, pressurized gas. Five of the ten major accidents involving salt caverns were a result of casing failures. (click here)
Salt dome fractures and shear zones
The salt dome beneath Jefferson Island and Lake Peigneur is not all pure salt. According to a 1976 report by D.H. Kupfer, a “shear zone” exists that separates two spines of salt. These two spines of salt that compromise the Jefferson Island salt dome rose separately at different times in history, trapping sand and other impurities in this shear zone within the dome.
The premise of storing pressurized natural gas in a salt dome is for the structural strength of the pure salt that it contains. If gas is under pressure, it will continually push against the walls of the salt cavern. If these salt caverns have grown near or into a shear zone, it is likely the pressurized gas could find a weak point in the impurities of the salt structure and escape the cavern.
Salt cavern proximity to abandoned salt mine
There is a question of whether maps depicting the location of the flooded salt mine are accurate. There has been no definitive conclusion to how the Texaco drill-bit caused Lake Peigneur to drain into the Diamond Crystal Salt Mine in 1980, however it’s possible that Texaco’s coordinates for the salt mine where not a true indication of its location. It is also possible that the flooded salt mine is much closer to the coordinates of AGL’s salt caverns.
Drinking water quality
AGL’s proposed expansion of JISH will require over 7 billion gallons of fresh water from the Chicot Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for the area. The leaching of the two new salt caverns will yield a by-product called “brine”, which is super-saturated salt water.
AGL will pump the brine by-product through a disposal pipe into the sediment below the Chicot Aquifer. If there is breach in the disposal pipe (science proves that salt water corrodes metal) brine water could leak out into the Chicot Aquifer, contaminating the drinking water supply of Erath and Delcambre.
Also, the displacement of 5.18 million gallons of water a day from the Aquifer could draw the un-drinkable brine by-product, pumped under the Aquifer by AGL, up into the Aquifer and contaminate the water supply.
Lake water pollution
Lake Peigneur has been a hotbed of salt, oil and sulfur exploration since 1919. Between 1932 and 1936, 400,000 tons of sulfur was extracted from below the lake bed, and the discovery of commercial oil in 1938 led to production until 1980. Rampant oil activity kept Lake Peigneur a toxic mess for many years.
AGL’s expansion project requires the lake bottom to be dredged to transport heavy machinery to the construction site in the lake. Their machines will dredge the lake and churn up contaminated silt from years of oil exploration and cause pollution, serious fish kills, oil slicks and drive away the bird population.
In 1994, Lake Peigneur was dredged to create the two existing salt caverns. Residents report that it took 3 years for wildlife to return.
Impact to wildlife and fisheries
Lake Peigneur boasts redfish, catfish, shrimp, wildlife and over 300 species of birds, enjoyed by Southwest Louisiana’s boaters, fishermen and residents alike. Neighboring Jefferson Island is listed on the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Bird Sanctuary Registry.
Dredging operations required for the JISH expansion will no doubt drive away the wildlife, as it did in 1994. Lake Peigneur will be hijacked by an out-of-state company and deemed unusable for the residents of Louisiana.
Devaluation of property and quality of life
The residents of Erath, Delcambre and New Iberia comprise a hard-working community that is blessed to live in the rich culture and wildlife paradise of South Louisiana. The presence of a dangerous natural gas storage facility, that could exist offshore and away from a community of 5,000 residents, devalues property and quality of life.
Lake residents must endure the loud bangs from the compressors at the JISH facility on Highway 89. Some residents have even relocated elsewhere because of the noise.
Recreational viability of Lake Peigneur will diminish
A Sunday in the spring or summer at Lake Peigneur sees boaters, skiers, fishermen, crabbers, and crawfish boils on the banks. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deemed Lake Peigneur a recreational lake, and it continues to live up to that standard.
A polluted lake will end those activities. Fishermen will be catching, and eating, fish swimming in contaminated water.
Construction and potential explosion could deter visitation to locality
In 2006, Louisiana State University’s Sea Grant program unveiled proposals for the Town of Delcambre’s redevelopment, with an emphasis on preserving culture, promoting recreational activities and improving the town's infrastructure.
One small incident or evacuation, Delcambre will lose ability to attract tourists. Visitation to Jefferson Island and Rip Van Winkle Gardens would drop significantly.
The community could lose current & future tourist dollars.
