CALIFORNIA PROJECT AIMS TO PLUG OLD WELLS

The California State Lands Commission (CSLC) has temporarily halted a program to properly plug offshore wells abandoned in Summerland oil field at the turn of the century. Five wells, originally drilled to about 400 ft, were abandoned about 1907, sealed only by dynamite blasts. The CSLC project was to be complete late next month, but it ran out of funds after three wells in the surf zone were plugged. Blind flanges were welded on the two remaining wells in deeper water to prevent oil from

June 28, 1993

The California State Lands Commission (CSLC) has temporarily halted a program to properly plug offshore wells abandoned in Summerland oil field at the turn of the century.

Five wells, originally drilled to about 400 ft, were abandoned about 1907, sealed only by dynamite blasts.

The CSLC project was to be complete late next month, but it ran out of funds after three wells in the surf zone were plugged. Blind flanges were welded on the two remaining wells in deeper water to prevent oil from leaking through casing.

International Diving Services, Port Hueneme, Calif., designed the program's submersible platform. It originally was used to lay a municipal effluent pipeline just off off San Diego.

The company modified the platform by installing a workover rig to handle the Summerland project after CSLC allocated almost $897,000 for the experimental plugging program.

In another configuration, the rig can work in 25 ft of water as well as onshore in the surf.

Proper plugging of the remaining two wells awaits more state money.

Summerland is the site of the world's first offshore well, drilled from a pier in 1897.