One of the caverns is known to have had a collapse, and salinity levels in Seneca Lake spiked during this time.
Beginning in 1982 they moved their storage operation across the road, away from the lake, into a highly engineered shallow rock cavern far removed from the salt layer.
Crestwood’s plan for expansion is not the same as the existing gas storage facility. Currently, there is 1.5 billion cubic feet of methane in salt caverns. Neither the TEPPCO or Crestwood facilities requires expansive brine ponds, compressor stations or a train or truck depot. Currently there is a fine balance between industry and tourism in the area. The
proposed expansion and its related above-ground infrastructure is something entirely different and would tip the scale from balanced coexistence to an industrial landscape that is not compatible with the comprehensive plans, the land use laws, or the vision that so many have worked to achieve in the Finger Lakes. That is why over 340 regional businesses and 31 municipalities (Counties, Towns, Villages and Cities, including the Cities of Geneva, Rochester, and Syracuse) officially oppose Crestwood’s proposal. This is not business as usual, and local business owners and elected officials know it.
Some of these include:
It is vitally important to understand that the solution mined salt caverns at Seneca Lake are not only salt. They consist of layers of salt interbedded with layers of shale, creating interfaces through which gas may leak.