Tunnel Area wells - East of Sierra Highway

NEEDHAM FP WELLS

Here are all the wells in the Newhall Refinery main area. These wells were originally drilled by the Crawford Syndicate Oil Company. In February of 1926, the company name was changed to the Fremont Pass Oil Company. In November 1930, the wells were obtained by the Southern California Drilling Company and the well names were changed to Needham FP. (where the FP stood for Fremont Pass). They were finally deeded to the Newhall Refining Company in 1953. View to the north. From left to right (west to east): Newhall FP2, Newhall FP1, Newhall FP4, and a monitor well. The FP wells are north of Clampitt Road. The monitor well is south of it. (Photo date 6/10/2018)

NEEDHAM FP 1 (API number 037-12985)

Needham FP 1 was spudded in 1922. This has about an 8 inch casing with a 5 inch PVC pipe inside. (6/2/2018)

FP 1 was converted into a monitor well by Pauley Petroleum by 1990. (6/2/2018)

NEEDHAM FP 2 (037-12986)

Needham FP 2 was spudded in 1924. It was filled with cement when it was abandoned. The wellhead could not be cut off below ground level because no welding was allowed in the refinery. The casing here is about 8 1/2 inches in diameter. (6/8/2018)

FP 2 with view towards large tank. (6/8/2018)

NEEDHAM FP 4 (037-12988)

Needham FP 4 was spudded in 1927. This has about an 8 inch casing with a 5 inch PVC pipe inside. (6/2/2018)

FP 4 was converted into a monitor well by Pauley Petroleum by 1990. (5/39/2018)

MONITOR WELL

Monitor well in the Newhall Refinery area south of the FP wells. I can't tell whether it was originally an oil well or not. It could be one of the Clampitt wells, but there were all abandoned. Maybe one was opened up and redrilled for monitoring purposes. The pipe is 8 inches in diameter and the PVC pipe is 5 inches. (6/2/2018)

View of PVC pipe in monitor well. (6/2/2018)

UNKNOWN

I'm not sure whether this pipe was an oil well or not, but I doubt it. It is close to the location of York 3 (037-13116), but that well was abandoned in 1991, 5 feet below the surface, so this is not York 3. The height above ground level is also unusual for an oil well. Old aerial photos show a building at this site. (5/28/2018)

Closer view showing that the cap was welded on. (5/28/2018)

YORK 5 (037-13117)

York 5 site, drilled in 1930. (2/13/2010)

Note on York 4: According to DOGGR oil records, the York - Smullin Oil Company drilled five wells on their Needham Ranch lease. These were York 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. But what happened to York 4? According to the Daily Signal of October 30, 1930, York 4 was being drilled. The Signal of November 20, 1930, then reported that York 4 was preparing for production. However, DOGGR records state that York 5 was started on October 27, 1930, and completed on November 21, 1930. These are the dates that the Signal was reporting on York 4. Therefore, York 5 was the fourth well drilled but, for whatever reason, was officially named York 5 instead of York 4. On March 19, 1931, the Signal reported that York 5 was in the process of being drilled, but the DOGGR well records for York 6 state that it was started on March 11, 1931, and completed on March 5, 1931. So the Signal's York 5 (the fifth well drilled by York-Smullin) was actually the official York 6. The question of why number 4 was not used for the fourth well, which was the normal way of numbering wells, will remain a mystery.

The wellhead for York 5 would have been here, but the well was abandoned in 1991 with the casing cut 5 feet below ground level. The concrete piers were to be removed later by the owner (Hondo Oil & Gas Co), but never were. New owners would partially remove them over the years during surface cleanup operations. (2/13/2010)

One of the concrete piers still exists in 2018. (6/22/2018)

YORK 6 (037-13118)

York 6 was drilled in 1931 but not abandoned until 1991. The top of the well is 5 feet below ground level, but it is easy to tell where the well was. Like York 5, the concrete cellar and four piers were to be removed later by the owner (Hondo Oil & Gas Co), but that did not happen. (2/13/2010)

Close-up of one of the four cement piers of York 6. The shape and dimensions are almost the same as the York 5 pier. (12/10/2017)

ZENITH 3 (037-12967)??

This could be Zenith 3. It was drilled in 1902 and plugged in 1921 at a depth of 200 feet. It was going to be used for waste water disposal. The well records state that the casing (at the surface) was 7 5/8 inches. The outside casing diameter here is 9 1/2 inches. The inside casing diameter is 8 3/4. (2/13/2010)

Another view. It is on the west side of Newhall Creek visible below the well. Much building waste has been pushed into the creek bed. (3/18/2016)

Another view. (5/28/2018)

ZENITH 3 (037-12967)??

This well could also be Zenith 3. It is on the opposite (east) side of the creek of the previous well and has a 6 1/2 inch casing with a 2 1/2 inch pipe coming out diagonally. The diagonal pipe would have made it easier to use this well for waste water disposal. (6/10/2018)

Closer view. (6/13/2018)

ZENITH 5 (037-12969)??

The location of this well is close to where old maps show Zenith 5 was. It was made into a monitor well before 1990. The casing diameter is 8 1/2 inches. (7/1/2018)

Another view showing the PVC pipe. The lid covering the wellhead still works. (7/1/2018)

MONITOR WELL

Monitor well on the side of a dirt road north of the refinery. I can't tell whether it was originally an oil well or not. All the oil wells around here are accounted for. The pipe diameter is about 10 inches with a 6 inch PVC pipe inside. (6/10/2018)

PVC pipe down the monitor well. (6/16/2018)

MONITOR WELL

Monitor well a little south of the previous monitor well. The pipe diameter is about 8 inches with a 4 1/2 inch PVC pipe inside. (7/3/2018)

PVC pipe down the monitor well. (7/3/2018)