Inglewood Oil Field

Inglewood Oil Field
Name	Inglewood Oil Field
Location	Inglewood, California, United States
Coordinates	33°57′N 118°21′W
Operator	Various private companies
Discovery	1924
Producing formation	Upper Pliocene
Area	~1,300 acres
Oil	heavy oil, asphaltic crude

Inglewood Oil Field The Inglewood Oil Field is a large, urban oil field situated in Inglewood, California near Los Angeles International Airport, Hawthorne, California, El Segundo, California, and Westchester, Los Angeles. Discovered in the early 20th century, the field has been a notable source of heavy oil and residents have long experienced intersections between petroleum extraction, municipal development, and regional infrastructure such as Interstate 405 (California), Pacific Coast Highway, and the Century Freeway. The field’s footprint overlaps residential neighborhoods, commercial districts, Los Angeles County facilities, and transportation hubs including SoFi Stadium and the Crenshaw/LAX Line transit corridor.

Overview

The Inglewood area field lies within the Los Angeles Basin petroleum province, adjacent to other producing areas like the Santa Fe Springs Oil Field and the Long Beach Oil Field, and contributes to California’s historical production alongside basins such as the San Joaquin Valley and the Coastal Ranges. Historically operated by independent producers and companies with portfolios similar to Occidental Petroleum, Chevron Corporation, and smaller independents like Sentinel Peak Resources and California Resources Corporation, the field’s operations engage with agencies including the California Department of Conservation and local jurisdictions such as the City of Inglewood and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

History

Initial development began in the 1920s during a period when Southern California fields such as Signal Hill Oil Field and Brea-Olinda Oil Field were reshaping urban growth, contemporaneous with events like the Great Depression and urban expansion influenced by projects like the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Over decades, corporate owners changed through transactions similar to those involving Union Oil Company of California and mergers seen with firms like Shell Oil Company and Texaco. Community responses have mirrored patterns from disputes at Chevron Richmond Refinery and controversies around Aliso Canyon gas leak, prompting local activism comparable to campaigns led by organizations such as Earthjustice and Sierra Club affiliates. The field’s century-long timeline intersects with regional planning milestones including zoning changes enacted by the Inglewood City Council and metropolitan shifts driven by projects like Los Angeles Metro Rail.

Geology and Reservoir Characteristics

Geologically, the field is part of a complex structural system of anticlines, faults, and stratigraphic traps comparable to formations in the Los Angeles Basin and influenced by tectonics related to the San Andreas Fault system and the Palos Verdes Fault Zone. Reservoirs include shallow to moderately deep sandstones and fractured units of Upper Pliocene to Pleistocene age analogous to reservoirs in Wilmington Oil Field. The hydrocarbons are typically heavy, viscous crude with high asphaltene content, resembling production from reservoirs in Santa Barbara Channel and parts of the Monterey Formation; recovery factors have historically required enhanced recovery techniques similar to steamflooding used in the Midway-Sunset Oil Field and cyclic steam injection strategies observed in fields such as Fruitland.

Production and Operations

Production has varied with market cycles similar to industry patterns seen at El Segundo Refinery feedstock sources and statewide output reported by the California Energy Commission. Operators have used well types ranging from vertical to directional and multi-leg wells, with surface facilities including separators, tanks, and produced water handling akin to installations at Long Beach Marine Terminal sites. Enhanced oil recovery, abandonment, and well plugging activities follow standards paralleling practices recommended by the California Geologic Energy Management Division and engineering protocols used by firms akin to Baker Hughes and Schlumberger for well stimulation and monitoring. Logistics intersect with regional infrastructure such as Interstate 105 (Century Freeway) and energy markets served by entities like Southern California Edison.

Environmental and Health Impacts

Environmental concerns parallel those observed in urban petroleum contexts like South Los Angeles and Richmond, California, including air quality issues monitored by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, groundwater salinity and contamination considerations overseen by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and noise and community disturbance proximate to institutions such as Los Angeles Unified School District campuses. Health impact studies reminiscent of investigations near Kettleman City and public health responses involving agencies such as the California Department of Public Health and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have informed community debates. Emergency responses and contingency planning draw on frameworks used by Federal Emergency Management Agency and local fire departments like the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Regulatory and Legal Issues

Regulation has involved state statutes and agencies analogous to actions by the California Public Utilities Commission and regulatory oversight by the California Natural Resources Agency, with compliance matters similar to enforcement cases pursued by the California Attorney General in environmental litigation. Land use and permitting engage municipal authorities such as the Inglewood Planning Commission and legal contestation has involved stakeholders comparable to Natural Resources Defense Council and local neighborhood coalitions. Leaseholds, surface rights, and easements often reflect transactional histories like those recorded in county records of Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, with litigation and settlements following precedents set in cases involving firms like BP and ExxonMobil in other California venues.

Future Development and Redevelopment Plans

Proposals for redevelopment have weighed possibilities similar to urban conversion projects in areas like Brooklyn Navy Yard and South Park, Los Angeles, balancing energy needs with community planning initiatives tied to agencies such as Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Los Angeles County) and economic development efforts from entities like the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. Discussions include potential plug-and-abandon programs, caps on drilling near sensitive receptors such as Centinela Valley Hospital Medical Center, brownfield remediation models resembling work by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program, and adaptive reuse scenarios inspired by projects involving Exposition Park and transit-oriented development around A Line (Los Angeles Metro). Prospects depend on market forces tracked by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, policy shifts from the California Air Resources Board, and municipal decisions by the Inglewood City Council.

Category:Oil fields in California Category:Los Angeles County, California