Public Notice – Temporary Use of Lookout Park Parking Lot and Beach Area

UPDATE: This work has been completed! Thank you to everyone involved. 

Summerland Olsson 805 Well Re-Abandonment

The next Summerland Legacy Well Abandonment Project – Olsson 805 Re-abandonment – will occur between July 21 and July 25, 2021. Equipment will be mobilized on July 21 and work activities will take place on the beach during the low tide cycles (2 a.m. – 6 a.m. or so) over this four-day period. There is no offshore component to this well re-abandonment, as the project site can be accessed from the shore (Lookout Park and the beach access ramp off Finney St.). Equipment (excavators, crane) will remain on the beach, above the waterline with security, when not in use to maximize actual work time during low tides. Note that the Lookout Park parking lot will be needed for equipment staging during the project.  The public notice is below and has been mailed to residents in the immediate area. Notices will also be placed at beach access locations.

What:

The California State Lands Commission and its consultant, InterAct, will re-abandon (permanently seal) a leaking well known as Olsson 805 that is located on the west end of Summerland Beach. Re-abandonment activities are an essential part of the Commission’s efforts to permanently stop the hydrocarbon source from leaking into surrounding waters and onto the beach. The legacy wells date back to the largely unregulated development of the Summerland Oil Field in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Heavy equipment will be used during low tide periods to complete the work, including 1) excavating to expose the well; 2) driving pipe pile over the well into an impermeable cap rock to encapsulate the old well; 3) filling the annular space between the pipe pile and the well with cement, which will act as a primary barrier to the migration of hydrocarbons, and 4) welding a steel plate on top of the pipe pile, which acts as a secondary barrier to hydrocarbon migration.
Spill response equipment and trained personnel will be staged in the Lookout Park parking lot during the activity as a precautionary measure.

When:

Well re-abandonment work is scheduled to begin on July 21st and conclude by July 25th, 2021. Work on the beach will be conducted during low tide cycles (peaking at around 4:30 a.m.) each day.

Why:

Though the Olsson 805 well is no longer in production, it periodically leaks small quantities of oil. The well is roughly 100 years old and must be re-abandoned to prevent ongoing leakage. It is in the best interest of the state, the public, and the environment to seal this and other legacy wells and keep our beaches clean and healthy.