Residents of a $3 Million Neighborhood Can’t Escape This Strange Orange Ooze

According to the NY Post, residents of a wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood have spent the last five years dealing with something that sounds more like a movie plot than a real-life municipal problem.

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Homeowners in Encino, where properties routinely sell for around $3 million, say a mysterious orange-colored liquid has been flowing through parts of their neighborhood, staining streets, homes, driveways, and vehicles. The strange runoff has reportedly created slippery conditions, caused accidents, and left residents increasingly frustrated as they wait for a permanent solution.

The first thing that came to my mind was Ghostbusters II. If you remember that movie, New York City was dealing with a river of pink slime flowing beneath the streets that fed off negativity. The only difference here is that this goo is orange, and apparently nobody is trying to fight it with a giant walking Statue of Liberty.

According to local residents, the orange water is believed to be groundwater containing minerals and iron deposits. As it surfaces and flows downhill, it leaves behind an ugly orange stain and occasionally creates foam that collects along the roadway. Neighbors say motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians have slipped on the slick surface, and there have even been vehicle accidents linked to the problem.

The city has reportedly estimated that a permanent fix could cost millions of dollars, but residents say progress has been painfully slow. Some have expressed concerns that the unusual situation could eventually impact property values if it continues indefinitely.

Now, imagine this happening in Greenwich, Connecticut.

There's approximately a zero percent chance Greenwich residents would tolerate five years of orange slime coating their streets and luxury vehicles. Our rich people are richer, louder, and considerably more aggressive when something threatens their property values. If orange ooze started creeping down a Greenwich road, I'd expect emergency meetings, lawyers, consultants, engineers, and probably three competing action plans before the week was over.

For now, Encino residents are still waiting. And somewhere, I'm convinced there's a Ghostbuster looking at this story and saying, "I've seen this one before."