LAS CRUCES — A state District Court judge has granted the city of Carlsbad permission to enter the privately owned site of a brine well in danger of collapse to determine the size and shape of an underground cavern and figure out a plan to avert disaster.
“We’re very happy we can now proceed with steps that can hopefully stabilize this issue and protect the citizens of the town,” said Carlsbad City Manager Harry Burgess on Friday.
The brine well, owned by I&W Inc., is similar to two others in Eddy County that collapsed in 2008. Officials with the state Oil and Conservation Division, which pressured I&W to plug the well in late 2008, believe there is a strong probability the brine well will collapse, leaving a gaping hole hundreds of feet wide at its location between the intersection of U.S. 180/62 and U.S. 285 on the south side of town.
The brine well site also borders the main canal of the Carlsbad Irrigation District, an RV park, a feed store and a church.
A city expert testified at a court hearing last month that the brine well is likely to collapse within five years, and most probably within two years unless preventive measures are taken. City officials plan a multimillion dollar effort to fill in the cavern beneath the brine well, but first must determine its size and shape.
“Time is probably the biggest concern at this point,” Burgess said. “We want to make sure all of this is accomplished before any collapse occurs.”
In the order issued late Thursday, District Judge Jane Shuler Gray said I&W must reimburse Carlsbad for the cost of a “characterization study” that will use sonar readings to determine the extent of the cavern. The study is expected to cost about $160,000 and take 60 days to complete.
Brine is an extremely salty solution used by oil companies in Texas and southeast New Mexico to drill wells. Brine is made by pumping water into underground salt formations and then removing the dissolved mixture, a process that over decades hollows out caverns.
The judge also ordered I&W to reimburse the city for the ongoing costs of operating a monitoring system to detect subtle shifts in the ground and an early-warning system designed to alert local officials if a collapse is imminent.
The Oil and Conservation Division is seeking a $2.6 million penalty against I&W for failure to comply with terms of its discharge permit. I&W is contesting the state complaint.
In this Aug. 31, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump holds up a list of his administrations accomplishments while speaking at a Republican fundraiser at the Carmel Country Club in in Charlotte, N.C. President Donald Trump is starting his Labor Day with an attack on a top union leader. Trump tweeted Monday that AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka "represented his union poorly on television this weekend." He added: "it is easy to see why unions are doing so poorly. A Dem!" Trumka appeared on "Fox News Sunday," where he said efforts to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement should include Canada. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
All of the No. 1 seeds for the high school state soccer tournaments went to metro-area schools, as the New Mexico Activities Association released the postseason brackets on Sunday.
BOYS: As expected, one-loss Cibola pulled down the top seed in Class 6A, followed by La Cueva, Las Cruces and Volcano Vista. Those four have first-round byes next weekend. Volcano Vista, the only team to beat Cibola in the regular season, is in the same half of the draw as the Cougars.
Teams hosting first-round games are No. 5 Atrisco Heritage, No. 6 Albuquerque High, No. 7 Oñate and No. 8 Sandia.
The Matadors get Rio Rancho in the first round; the Rams beat Cleveland on Saturday night to claim third place in District 1-6A.
But the weekend was still a major success for the Storm. Cleveland is in the state tournament for the first time, getting in as a No. 12 seed. Cleveland faces Atrisco in the first round.
• Class 5A was perhaps the most competitive of any division this season. Albuquerque Academy snared the No. 1 seed ahead of last year’s Class 4A state champion, Roswell. Capital and Farmington rounded out the top four.
• Sandia Prep dominated New Mexico competition and the Sundevils – seeking a record 18th state championship – were seeded at the top of the Class 1A-4A bracket.
GIRLS: Despite a loss Saturday, Rio Rancho is the No. 1 seed in Class 6A. Eldorado, last year’s 5A state winner, is seeded second, followed by La Cueva and Cleveland.
Cibola, Hobbs, Volcano Vista and Las Cruces are seeds 5-8, and get home games in the first round. The 8-9 game pits two district champions, the Lady Bulldawgs and No. 9 AHS.
• St. Pius is positioned well to defend its 2013 title. The Sartans were the clear No. 1 in Class 5A this year, with Aztec (a team St. Pius has beaten twice, 4-2 and 2-1), Los Alamos and Farmington filling out the top four lines.
• Undefeated Hope Christian, a defending state champion, was the no-brainer choice for No. 1 in Class 1A-4A. St. Michael’s, Robertson and Bosque School also will be off next weekend.