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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. () — A massive drill has been set up in Newport Beach after a 1920s-era abandoned well began leaking oil and methane gas underneath a home.
Police are already warning residents that they should expect noise around the clock for the next 10 days, turning the quiet neighborhood into a 24/7 construction zone.
The heavy drilling to repair the oil leak is happening on Marcus Avenue.
Neighbors in Newport Beach are going to have to get used to the sights and sounds of the drill and detours around the clock for the next several weeks.
The special drill that was installed will be drilling about 800 feet deep into the Earth to repair an abandoned oil well, which dates all the way back to the 1920s.
This project has caused a section of Marcus Avenue to be closed.
“Truthfully, it hasn’t been that bad. It’s not any noisier than July 4th, or the houses that are under construction in the area,” said neighbor Wyatt Fogoia.
“It sounds like they caught it pretty early. They took the appropriate measures. There’s been a lot of police presence and fire trucks, so I think they are definitely approaching it with caution,” Bella Crane said.
The issue was first discovered back in October. Some neighbors were forced to evacuate after crews discovered methane gas and oil at a home on Marcus Avenue.
Once crews were able to mitigate the exposure, people were allowed to return, but the property most impacted has been red-tagged indefinitely.
The state is paying for the 24-hour operation. Crews say the heavy drilling will continue through the night for at least the next 10 days.
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