LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Southern California Gas Co. has been told to permanently close and seal a storage well that’s poured natural gas into the air over a Los Angeles neighborhood for months and driven thousands from their homes.
A hearing board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued the order Saturday. It also ordered the utility to fund a health study for residents of the Porter Ranch neighborhood and inspect all the other wells at the Aliso Canyon storage facility to help prevent future leaks.
However, the board stopped short of ordering all wells in the huge storage field shut, as some residents have demanded.
A call to the gas company for comment wasn’t immediately returned.
Residents say the Oct. 23 leak has caused headaches, nosebleeds and other illnesses.