Emergency remediation of ‘orphan’ oil well begins by Newport Beach homes

A drill rig arrived on 36th Street this week as part of an emergency effort to address a methane leak that impacted several Balboa Peninusla homes.

The leak, which city officials detected in October, originated from a capped “orphan” oil well from the 1920s several hundred feet beneath the neighborhood.

“The key to finishing this project is starting it,” said Mark Vukojevic, Newport Beach utilities director. “We’re doing everything we can to push and facilitate construction.”

Two months ago, a resident who lives near 36th and a Marcus Avenue noticed signs of seeping oil and reached out to the city. Vukojevic and Fire Marshal James Gillespie responded to the scene.

Officials later declared a local emergency and ordered the evacuation of several homes. Newport Beach Fire Department and the OC Health Care Agency subsequently found unsafe and potentially flammable levels of methane and hydrogen sulfide.

City and county workers installed ventilation systems that brought the methane down to a safe level, allowing evacuated residents to return. The emergency remediation will offer a more permanent solution, and state funds allocated for oil well cleanup will cover the costs.

The California Geologic Energy Management Division is overseeing contractor Driltek Inc.’s emergency drilling operation.

Over the next three to four weeks, crews will work to seal the leak, a process Vukojevic likened to heart surgery. Through a 12-inch, pipe-sized hole on the corner of Marcus and 36th, a new pipe with a drill bit will burrow hundreds of feet.

“We’re going to be drilling vertically but also moving in an angle,” Vukojevic said. “Once the new pipe finds the old pipe, a hole will be cut into it.”

From there, the old pipe will be cleaned and sealed with cement in hopes of preventing future leaks.

While drilling continues, street parking won’t be permitted near the work site. Some homes will have restricted use of their garages.

Once the remediation is completed, crews will fill in the the hole and repave the street. The house where the methane was first detected will likely remain red-tagged after the project is finished.

“There’s still oil underneath their home that they will have to bring some experts to figure out how to remediate,” Vukojevic said.