Might be time to start paying more attention to the big hole

You know. Before the giant spiders start to emerge... or worse.

The problems with the salt cavern were not disclosed to the public and some parish officials involved with the response effort. An examination of DNR records, interviews, public statements and public meetings established the following:

 The possibly failed salt cavern may be closer to the outer wall of the Napoleonville Dome than Texas Brine officials believed.

 DNR defended the timing of its disclosures about the history surrounding the salt cavern as matching the emerging facts of the incidents in Bayou Corne.

 Sonny Cranch, Texas Brine spokesman, said company officials have been as surprised as anyone about a possible collapse of their salt cavern.

 DNR officials allowed Texas Brine to deposit naturally-occurring radioactive material arising from drilling into two company salt caverns, including the one that may have breached in the Bayou Corne area. As of Wednesday, state environmental officials had not tested the sinkhole for radioactivity.