Maps from California Doggr Database
Capped or plugged oil wells can blowout and be a real danger in the South Bay if oil drilling is permitted in Hermosa Beach. Pat Aust of the Redondo Beach City Councilman and former firefighter knows first hand of the dangers of dealing with capped wells. Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo beach have hundreds several capped wells that could be at risk of a blowout or explosion. Below is an explanation to help you understand the potential threat to our community if slant hydraulic pressurized oil drilling is permitted underground and an adjacent well is pressurized.
Oil drilling blowout preventers (BOPs) can be used on the drilling site itself on the surface to mitigate risk. However, blowout preventers CANNOT be used on capped wells when the adjacent reservoir becomes pressurized. If an adjacent capped oil well were to blowout you could easily have a methane explosion and you wouldn't know about it until its too late.
Most capped wells are buried 30 feet below the surface and were completed usually 30 to 40 years ago. A hole still exists to a reservoir underneath the ground several thousand feet. We don't know the condition of these capped wells or reservoirs because there are very limited records and these wells have been capped and buried for several decades. That does not mean that these wells aren't building pressure underneath the surface. E&B proposes slant oil drilling and it has no control over pressurizing adjacent wells. Huge, huge risk of health and safety.
