WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - Permission slips being distributed to residents in Bayou Corne area will allow Texas Brine to install equipment to mitigate any dangers that might be posed by underground methane gas.

The state Office of Conservation directed the company to install methane monitors and ventilation systems to avoid an undetected accumulation of methane in enclosed spaces inside slab-foundation homes.

The moves come months after a large sinkhole opened up in the area, where Texas Brine extracted brine from an underground salt cavern for nearby petrochemical facilities. The sinkhole opened up after months of gas bubbles developed in waterways and land-based water wells.