Lakeview Gusher
| Lakeview Gusher Number One | |
|---|---|
The Lakeview gusher after the flow had partially subsided and the well surrounded by a sandbag berm, 1910.
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| Location | Kern County, California |
| Coordinates | 35°05′29″N 119°24′05″W / 35.091424°N 119.401377°WCoordinates: 35°05′29″N 119°24′05″W / 35.091424°N 119.401377°W |
| Date | 14 March 1910 – September 1911 |
| Cause | Wellhead blowout |
| Operator | Lakeview Oil Company |
| Volume |
9 million barrels (1.4×106 m3) |
| Reference no. | 485 |
9 million barrels (1.4×106 m3)
Lakeview Gusher Number One was an eruption of hydrocarbons from a pressurized oil well in the Midway-Sunset Oil Field in Kern County, California, in 1910. It created the largest accidental oil spill in history, lasting 18 months and releasing 9 million barrels (1.4×106 m3) of crude oil.
Midway-Sunset was one of the largest oil reserves in America. When drilling commenced, the Lakeview Oil Company expected natural gas and a small amount of oil. Instead, there was a large blowout which overloaded storage tanks.
The 9-million-barrels (1.4×106 m3) geyser released more than 1.2 million US tons of crude, far more than any other single leak on land or water. Its site is located about a half-mile (800 m) east of the Taft–Maricopa Highway, California Route 33, marked by a Caltrans guide sign and a bronze plaque designated as California Historical Landmark number 485.
The Lakeview Oil Company started drilling at their Number One well on 1 January 1909. Initially only natural gas was found. As work continued the company partnered with Union Oil, which wanted to build storage tanks there.
Early twentieth-century drilling technology lacked such modern safety features as blowout preventers. When drilling reached 2,440 ft (740 m) on 14 March 1910 pressurized oil blew through well casing above the bit. An estimated 9 million barrels (1.4×106 m3) escaped before the gusher was brought under control in September 1911.
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