Porter Ranch Residents Renew Call For Aliso Canyon's Permanent Closure

PORTER RANCH (CBSLA.com) — Residents in Porter Ranch who just last month returned to their homes are angry that yet another natural gas leak was discovered at the Aliso Canyon facility, where a major well leak forced them out of the community in the first place.

The newest leak was detected Saturday during a routine inspection and reported by Southern California Gas Co. to local and state authorities. The utility's officials say the issue was quickly repaired and never presented a safety risk to the community.

But the leak - which wasn't reported until Wednesday, four days after it was detected -- has renewed calls for the facility to be shut down permanently. Members of Save Porter Ranch gathered in front of the facility Thursday, calling on Gov. Jerry Brown for its permanent closure.

A major leak in a well at the Porter Ranch facility along Tampa Avenue was discovered Oct. 23 and forced hundreds of residents to temporarily move out of the area while efforts were made to contain the flow of natural gas into the air. The leaking well was blamed for a multitude of health problems, including headaches, nosebleeds, seizures and skin and breathing problems.

One protestor described experiencing headaches and suffering a severe asthma attack, while her grandson and daughter-in-law broke out in rashes over the weekend – and then later discovered on Facebook that there had been another gas leak.

"It was like déjà vu," the woman told the protestors over a bullhorn. "I had no idea, so I didn't know what it was."

Save Porter Ranch board member Richard Matthews told the crowd that he is questioning why there was gas in the pipeline to leak, when the facility should not even be in operation. A moratorium on new natural gas injections at the facility was signed into law in May.

"This site is not safe. It's been operating for way too long," Richard Matthews, board member of Save Porter Ranch, told the protestors.