Pact Reached on Methane Gas Near Hoag

The methane gas that has bothered residents and employees around Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian for decades will be burned off or piped elsewhere under an agreement between the city and Caltrans.

The city will be the project coordinator but not a financial contributor, according to the agreement. The California Department of Transportation will contribute as much as $750,000, or 50%, of the cost to construct and operate the mitigation system for 20 years, officials said.

Caltrans is involved because a significant amount of seepage occurs at Pacific Coast Highway.

Earlier this summer, in prelude to the agreement, new methane gas collection pipes were installed to collect the gas and route it to a flare, where it safely burns.

The rest of the money will come from Hoag and other large landowners in the area, officials said.

Construction on the $1.5-million project will not begin until planners finish exploring two options, said Peggy Ducey, assistant to the city manager.

One is to upgrade and expand the existing flare at Hoag Hospital. A second option involves piping the methane gas to the Orange County Sanitation Districts, where it would be processed with its waste reclamation process.

The analysis report is due back to the city Oct. 1.

“We feel comfortable with the system we have in place for the short term,” Ducey said.

“We are actively monitoring the problem and keeping it under control,” she said. “But for the long run we are looking at mitigating it even further. . . . We’ve already had feedback from area residents that the smell is much better.”

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.