Oil platforms, Summerlamd. Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care.
Old wells, new problems: Once upon a time, Summerland, California, was the offshore oil drilling capital of the county. And while the wells were abandoned nearly a century ago, many Summerland residents feel that the unprecedented amounts of oil washing up on their beaches in recent months may be the result of these old petroleum-harvesting spots. Santa Barbara historical museum.
Excerpts;
Summerland resident stumbled upon something he knew existed, but had never seen before at Summerland Beach.
There are dozens of old wells at Summerland Beach which was once a bustling oil field, pumping out oil and gas from the Santa Barbara Channel.
The Summerland Oil Field was developed in the 1890s and has the distinction of being the location of the world’s first offshore oil wells.
Decades later, the wells were abandoned and leaks started springing up on the sand and in the water…
Read Full Article, Keyt (02-27-2017)
Bill Introduced to Cap Old Oil Wells, Edhat (01-26-2016)
State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson has just introduced a bill to monitor and cap California’s old, abandoned and leaking oil wells. It is estimated that there are more than 200 of these so-called ‘legacy’ wells in California, the majority located along the Summerland and Ellwood beaches in Santa Barbara County and along the Central Coast…
New bill to take a closer look at oil wells and natural seepage along Santa Barbara Coast, KCBX Central Coast Public Radio
A new bill that would require the state to study unused oil wells along the California Coast is being considered by Sacramento lawmakers…
Summerland Beach Oil Prompts Health Warning and Beach Closure, CA; KEYT (09-23-2015)
Summerland Beach’s Oil Seepage Mystery, Independent (04-23-2011)
Before it became the quaint coastal antiquing capital of the Californian South Coast that it is today, with a reputation for stunningly scenic and often empty beaches, Summerland was the hub of Santa Barbara’s oceanic oil rush at the start of the 20th century, the beach providing ground zero for a series of piers and primitive oil rigs harvesting crude from hundreds of offshore wells…
