Fruitvale Oil Field
The Fruitvale Oil Field is a large oil and gas field in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California, within and just northwest of the city of Bakersfield, along and north of the Kern River. It is one of the few oil fields in the California Central Valley which is mostly surrounded by a heavily populated area. Discovered in 1928, and with a cumulative total recovery of more than 124 million barrels (19,700,000 m3) of oil at the end of 2006, it is 41st in size among California oil fields, and according to the California Department of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) its total reserve amounts to a little less than ten percent of its original oil.
Unlike most of the large Kern County oil fields, which are in the hills bordering the Central Valley, the Fruitvale field is on the valley floor, surrounded by the city of Bakersfield and its suburbs. The southern San Joaquin Valley in the vicinity of the oil field, except where cut by the Kern River and where artificially modified by features such as canals, is almost as flat as a table top, and the elevation of the field varies only from about 300 to 400 feet (91 to 122 meters) across its 3,970-acre (16.1 km2) extent.
The climate is arid, with hot summers and mild winters. Temperature in the summer commonly exceeds 100 °F (38 °C). Only about 5 to 6 inches (150 mm) of precipitation falls in a year, almost invariably as rain, and in the winter. Tule fog is common during the cooler months. Drainage is to the Kern River which flows southwest through the southern part of the field towards the Buena Vista Lake Bed.
While the native vegetation in the area is mostly allscale and needlegrass, most vegetation has been removed from the area of active operations, and formerly active areas have largely been converted to industrial or other urban uses. Much of the northern part of the field, no longer used for production, is covered with residential development, as is the extreme south part, south of the Kern River. In the northwestern area of the field, the Calloway Area, a decommissioned part of the field has been turned into a golf course. Riparian vegetation and associated wildlife habitats can be found along the Kern River, which crosses through the southern part of the field.
Since the oil field is in an urbanized area, it is easily accessible from all sides. California State Route 99, a freeway, runs along and through the east side of the field, and the Rosedale Highway, Route 58 runs across it from east to west. Calloway Drive runs approximately along the western boundary, and Coffee Road parallels Calloway Drive to the east, crossing through the entire field.
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