Scientists and the mayor of Carlsbad say an abandoned brine well may turn into a sinkhole that could swallow up homes, businesses, and even part of a busy highway.
In the oil-rich southeast, brine wells are common. Companies drill into underground salt beds, then pump water into
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them.
The result is a solution used while drilling for oil.
Residents living near a brine well in Carlsbad are afraid the ground could drop out from under them.
The former brine well sits just off the highway, surrounded by homes and businesses.
People began to question the stability of the site when two other wells in the area collapsed.
Eugene Irby is the owner of the company that ran the well site.
Irby said Monday, "It's kinda what we call the Chicken Little syndrome. All of a sudden they are running around with their heads cut off."
He thinks the oil conservation district, which issued the warning about a possible collapse, is just over-reacting because of the other brine hole sinkholes in the area last year.
"The problem with our Carlsbad well, is they had us plug it, so there is no way to do any scientific study on it," Irby said.
Irby says nobody can really know how big the underground well is.
Since the site was abandoned, instruments have been installed to alert of a possible collapse.
"When our brine tanks were full, we had over two million pounds of water on the surface. Plus, with our trucks and concrete, if it was going to cave in, it would have done it by now," he said.
Some models show the well reaching underneath the highway, and dangerously close to homes and businesses.
One nearby business owner who did not wish to be indentified said he is extremely concerned about his safety and property.
Officials may try to shore up the well by filling it with some sort of material, but that could take some time depending on the depth of the well.
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