As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the city of Los Angeles is seeking federal permission for an subterranean experiment that could both resolve a messy environmental situation and alleviate tensions with rural neighbors over sewer sludge dumping, officials say. If the unprecedented plan is approved, the city would inject treated sludge into a nearly depleted oil and gas reservoir underneath Terminal Island in the Los Angeles Harbor. The reservoir is located one mile below the ground and a half mile under the water table.
The paper reports that the proposal could appease residents in Kern and Riverside counties where coal-black muck - the final product of treated urban wastewater - has been dumped on farmlands for years. However, many concerned citizens are worried about potential contamination of freshwater sources. Also, officials expect opposition from harbor-area residents, many of whom think there already has been too much pollution dumping in their neighborhood.