Officials Say Pipe May End Big Stink

The rotten-egg odor that for decades has plagued people who live and work in the area near Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian may finally be eliminated, city officials said Tuesday.

Caltrans and city officials will likely reach an agreement today to install a new underground collection pipe that would collect the gas, then route it to a flare where it could be safely burned.

“Everything seems to be working out smoothly,” said Peggy Ducey, assistant to the city manager.

Colorless and nontoxic, methane is a component of natural gas and is formed, much like oil, by the decay of marine plants and animals. In Newport Beach, experts have determined, the gas escapes from the ground naturally.

The foul odor, experts say, results when hydrogen sulfide, a byproduct of petroleum refining, seeps from oil fields in the area, mixing with the methane and contributing the rotten-egg odor.

Over the years, the state and the city have tried several gas venting, collection and extraction systems to end the problem, Ducey said. The most recent one was built jointly by Caltrans and the city in 1978 on a state highway right of way known as the Cagney Tract.

In 1984, Hoag purchased the property from Caltrans and assumed operation of the system. But in recent years, the gas seepage grew worse, Ducey said.

The city worked with the Orange County Sanitation District to add a vent pipeline that got rid of about 90% of the emissions, she said, but that system can no longer contain the emissions.

The new system being proposed by Caltrans and the city would cost about $1.2 million. Caltrans has agreed to pay half of that, with the city and private property owners, including Hoag, to share the remaining $750,000.

“It’s definitely been a nuisance to the nose,” said Peter Foulke, executive vice president for Hoag Hospital. “We are hoping that a revised system will alleviate the problem as it exists today.”