ONGOING GAS LEAK KILLING CROPS
... POLLUTING AIR AND WATER.
((JENNIFER)) DESPITE A LEGAL
BATTLE BETWEEN A SMALL TOWN
FARM FAMILY, AND A LARGE GAS
COMPANY, EXPERTS TELL US
NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO STOP
IT. WCIA-THREE'S MARK MAXWELL
INVESTIGATES THE CLEAR AND
PRESENT DANGER IN ANCONA.
THIS IS ONE OF EIGHT
UNDERGROUND NATURAL GAS
STORAGE FACILITIES NICOR
MAINTAINS IN ILLINOIS. I WAS
SURPRISED THAT NATURAL GAS WAS
KEPT IN THIS FASHION. IN THE
EARLY 1960S ILLINOIS GRANTED
NICOR TWO PERMITS TO BURY GAS
DEEP UNDERGROUND IN NATURALLY
OCCURING AQUIFERS IN ANCONA,
AND NEARBY GARFIELD. NAT (HOW
DO YOU SEE GAS?) LATER,
DESPITE GEOLOGICAL STUDIES
WARNING A FISSURE IN THE
CAPSTONE COULD CAUSE A LEAK,
NICOR MERGED THE TWO FIELDS
INTO ONE MASSIVE STORAGE HUB.
ATTORNEY RUTH ROBINSON
REPRESENTS THE SOLOMON FAMILY
FARM, THAT SITS ON TOP OF THE
GAS FIELD. THE GAS SEEMED TO
BE MIGRATING OUT OF THE
UNDERGROUND FACILITY WHERE IT
WAS SUPPOSED TO STAY. JIM
STEPHENS INSPECTED GAS STORAGE
FIELDS FOR THE ILLINOIS
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL
RESOURCES FOR [XX] YEARS. JIM
STEPHENS YOU CANNOT KNOW WITH
100% CERTAINTY WHAT IS 3000
FEET BELOW GROUND. MARK
MAXWELL RIGHT, HOW DO YOU
INSPECT THAT? JIM STEPHENS YOU
DON'T. YOU DON'T. HE'S BEEN AT
THE ANCONA-GARFIELD SITE
SEVERAL TIMES, AND RAISED
CONCERNS. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING
AT HERE? THAT'S A HAND-DUG
WATERWELL ON PROPERTY THAT IS
NOW OWNED BY NICOR THAT IS
SITTING THERE BUBBLING BECAUSE
OF THE NATURAL GAS INSIDE THE
WATER VEIN. THIS WELL IS 35
FOOT DEEP. THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO
BE STORING AT 2500 2800 FEET.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY LEAVING THE
STORAGE FORMATION THROUGH
FRACTURES AND MIGRATING UP TO
THE SURFACE. THAT'S WHY THE
SOLOMON FAMILY FILED A LAWSUIT
AGAINST NICOR IN 2015 TO TRY
AND SHUT DOWN THE STORAGE
FACILITY. THEY DON'T WANT THIS
GAS BUBBLING UP ONTO THEIR
PROPERTY. THE LAWSUIT FAILED.
THE COURT KICKED THE CASE DOWN
TO THE ILLINOIS COMMERCE
COMMISSION, AND THE SOLOMON
FAMILY STARTED RUNNING LOW ON
MONEY. METHANE GAS IS NOT
HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH,
OTHER THAN AS AN EXPLOSIVE
HAZARD OR AS AN INHALATION
HAZARD. THERE WAS HOUSES IN
KANSAS BLOWING UP BECAUSE OF
NATURAL GAS LEAKING INTO
HOUSES. NICOR'S WEBSITE HAS
INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO SPOT A
GAS LEAK: LOOK FOR DISCOLORED
VEGETATION, BLOWING DIRT OR
CONTINUED BUBBLING WATER
LISTEN FOR A HISSING SOUND.
SMELL FOR THE DISTINCTIVE
"ROTTEN EG" ODOR OF NATURAL
GAS. SO WHEN WE WENT TO THE
SOLOMON FAMILY FARM TO
INVESTIGATE, IT DIDN'T TAKE
LONG TO FIND ALL THREE. AND
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PUT
THIS GAS DETECTOR NEAR THIS
HOLE. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY
MIND THERE IS SOMETHING COMING
FROM OUT OF THIS HOLE RIGHT
NOW SOMETHING COOL, SOMETHING
THAT SMELLS TERRIBLE. AND
SOMETHING THAT SETS THIS GAS
DETECTOR OFF. WE'RE GOING TO
SEE IF WE CAN DETECT ANY
LEAKING GAS COMING FROM THE
BOTTOM OF THIS PIPE. THAT'S A
POSITIVE TEST FOR LEAKING GAS.
NOW, LISTEN CAREFULLY TO SEE
IF YOU CAN HEAR THE BUBBLING
BENEATH. STEPHENS IT SHOULDN'T
EVEN BE THERE. MARK MAXWELL
THE VENT PIPE? JIM STEPHENS
YEAH, THERE SHOULDN'T BE GAS
COMING TO SURFACE LIKE THAT.
NICOR'S MASSIVE UNDERGROUND
NATURAL GAS STORAGE FACILITY
IS SUPPOSED TO HOUSE THE GAS
HUNDREDS OF FEET BELOW THE
SURFACE HERE; BUT SOMEHOW,
EVIDENT BY THIS CROP DEATH,
ENOUGH OF IT IS REACHING THE
SOIL TO KILL THE CROPS HERE
AND SCAR THE CORN FIELDS FOR
MILES AROUND ROBINSON THERE'S
ONE CONCLUSION: THAT THE CAP
ROCK IS -- THE LID -- IS NOT
WORKING. AND, BUT THEN NOBODY
DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THAT
SHOULD BE REMEDIED AND
RECTIFIED AND SOMEHOW, RATHER
THAN JUST ALLOW THIS NATURAL
GAS TO ESCAPE FOR DECADES, YOU
KNOW, JUST DECADES OF GAS JUST
GOING UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.
AND THERE'S NOTHING BEING DONE
ABOUT THAT. NICOR TELLS US IN
A STATEMENT, "A SMALL AMOUNT
OF GAS MIGRATES FROM THE
STORAGE ZONE TO A SHALLOWER
ZONE THROUGH NATURAL
GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OR
CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED PRIOR
TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF OUR
STORAGE FACILITY IN THE
1960S." "NICOR GAS HAS SYSTEMS
IN PLACE TO SAFELY PREVENT
NATURAL GAS FROM GETTING INTO
THE ATMOSPHERE." "...WE HAVE
INSTALLED SECONDARY COLLECTION
WELLS THAT CAPTURE THE GAS IN
THE SHALLOWER FORMATIONS,
RECOMPRESS IT AND INJECT IT
BACK INTO OUR TRANSMISSION
SYSTEM." TARGET THREE
INVESTIGATOR LYNDSAY JONES HAS
POURED OVER THOUSANDS OF
DOCUMENTS DATING BACK DECADES.
LYNDSAY, COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW
NICOR HAS AT TIMES POINTED TO
NATURAL "BIOGENIC" GAS TO
SUGGEST PERHAPS SOME OF THIS
GAS ISN'T THEIRS. LYNDSAY: IN
FACT, NICOR INCLUDED THAT NOTE
IN THEIR RESPONSE TO US -- BUT
EXPERT ANALYSTS SAMPLED AND
TESTED THIS GAS -- AND FOUND A
CHEMICAL FINGERPRINT THAT
CONFIRMS IT IS IN FACT NICOR'S
GAS -- AND NOT NATURALLY
OCCURRING DRIFT GAS OR
'BIOGENIC GAS.' MARK: AND THE
COMPANY SAYS THE AMOUNT OF GAS
IS "SMALL." BUT WE STILL DON'T
KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH GAS IS
ESCAPING THE STORAGE ZONE.
LYNDSAY: THAT'S THE BIGGEST
MYSTERY HERE. NICOR KNEW THAT
GEOLOGICAL CRACK OR SPLIT
EXISTED IN THE EARLY SIXTIES.
THEY STILL STORED THE GAS
THERE -- AND EXPANDED THE
STORAGE FIELD, WHILE
DOWNPLAYING THE RISK OF A
LEAK. STATE LAW REQUIRED THEM
TO REPORT ANY GAS LEAK
IMMEDIATELY -- BUT THEN THE
ILLINOIS COMMERCE COMMISSION
SAYS IT DROPPED THAT
REQUIREMENT IN THE 80S. MARK:
NICOR CLAIMS IT STILL REPORTS
THE DATA TO THE STATE -- BUT
MONTHS INTO OUR INVESTIGATION
-- SEVERAL PUBLIC RECORDS
REQUESTS IN -- WE STILL HAVE
NOT FOUND ANY DOCUMENTS THAT
REVEAL EXACTLY HOW MUCH
METHANE IS ESCAPING THAT
FIELD.
((JENNIFER))) THERE IS MUCH
MORE OF THIS STORY ON
WCIA.COM. AND MUCH MORE STILL
TO COME. A WHISTLEBLOWER
SOUNDED ALARMS ABOUT HIGH
LEVELS OF A CANCER CAUSING
CHEMICAL AT NICOR'S OLDEST GAS
STORAGE FACILITY. HE NO LONGER
HAS HIS JOB. BUT OUR TARGET 3
TEAM FOLLOWED UP -- AND
INVESTIGATE WHAT'S IN THE
WATER IN OUR SECOND STORY IN
THIS SERIES: "CLEAR AND
PRESENT DANGER."
((PAUL)) CASES OF CORONAVIRUS
CONTINUE TO SURGE IN ILLINOIS.
THE STATE'S 7-DAY POSITIVITY
RATE ROSE FROM 4 AND A HALF