Newport Beach : Work on Plugging Well Pressed as Emergency

Work to close down the old oil well that was responsible for the explosion and fire that forced Balboa Peninsula residents from their homes Aug. 2 will continue unimpeded after the City Council’s unanimous vote to waive formal bidding procedures for the project.

According to Benjamin Nolan, the city’s public works director, the “abandonment” or closing down requires several steps, including pumping mud and placing cement plugs and caps in the well. The work has been under way since firefighters extinguished the blaze nearly two weeks ago. Workers from Gardena-based Sampson Oil Co. are expected to complete the project by the end of this week, he said.

In addition, the council unanimously approved a request by the Public Works Department to appropriate $200,000 to pay for both the abandonment and a project to clean up residue from the accident from the area around Balboa Boulevard and 44th Street.

Normally, such projects require council assent, but because of the nature of the problem, Nolan said, the city bypassed normal procedures.

“It’s an emergency situation and it’s needed to do the work right away,” he said. “The council didn’t meet until Monday, so it wasn’t possible to get a document to them before they met, but they were advised.”