Pump Jacks in the Parks -- Let's Drill for Oil

A knowledgeable person once told me that the Sprayberry formation underlies this entire region and that a well drilled just about anywhere in Midland would probably produce oil, albeit in low quantities.  I don't have the background, knowledge, intelligence or clairvoyance to confirm or deny that, but I'd love to see someone put it to a test.

There's a lot of city owned land in town, parks for example, and I suspect that some of the local taxing entities own some real property through foreclosures.

So let's drill some wells on that city property.  Not only could it add some income to the city coffers and lower our taxes, but it would show the anti-oil crowd that oil wells really aren't as environmentally unfriendly as they want people to think.  We could build a cage around them to keep the kiddies off, but otherwise they might add to the beauty of the landscape.

There's an old saying.  The sound of a pump jack can drive a person stark raving mad, that is unless he/she is getting some of the revenue from the well.  Then it sounds as sweet as a purring kitten.  So with the revenue pumped back into the city parks or something else from which we can all benefit, then we can all sit back and listen to those kittens purr.

The Map

Texas Railroad Commission Digital Map Data service sells digital maps of each county in the state of Texas.  And I recently bought the one for Midland County to see what it has on it.

In order to see the map on a computer screen a user has to have the appropriate software installed.  And the one I used is a free program called ArcExplorer made by ESRI.  Anyone who depends on maps for a living will have shelled out the money for a better program as the free version has some definite deficiencies.  For example, there is no text or labels visible on the map.  And there were several types of files on the map CD that were simply rejected by the ArcExplorer program, and I have no idea what they contain.

The image you see here shows a black outline of the Midland city limits as of some unknown date in the past.  The red lines are major roadways, and the green area within the city is Fairview Cemetery.  See all of the wells?  They're symbolized with blue triangles.  The map software doesn't show any text, so I have no idea what these wells are, dry holes, maybe.  The easiest ones to locate would seem to be the two just to the Northeast of the cemetery, but a drive-around didn't reveal anything in that area that resembled a well.  However, anyone who has driven by Hogan Park Golf Course will have seen the pumpjack there, so there is at least one active well out there.

Some cities put statues in their parks.  But, can you imagine a more fitting tribute to the industry that put this city on the map, and an aesthetically pleasing money maker at that, than a shiny pump jack nodding it's head up and down, up and down, purring like a kitten?

Query

I'm really just spouting off here.  I don't really know whether there's oil down there or not.  Maybe some local geo-scientist can give us a more informed idea.  Or as an alternative question, full credit given for identifying the movie and actor in the picture.  Hint:  Over the course of this big budget movie this character is transformed by the event depicted in this scene from an "Aw shucks" cowboy into a rich and ostentatious drunk.

Comments

[GruntDoc]

James Dean, movie Giant.

OK, the City owns the land, but who owns the mineral rights? It's always bothered me that I can own my land but not the minerals underneath.

[Wallace-Midland, Texas]

Actually, just several years ago a horizontal well [gas] was drilled from outside the city limits into and under the city. The rumor, or maybe the joke, was that the target zone was under the old K-Mart Store. You have an interesting concept, but the Doc is correct, you'd have to check the mineral interest ownership maps.

[Geo]

GruntDoc, regarding the movie, you are correct sir.

Both Wallace and GruntDoc have raised the question of who owns the mineral rights. I focused on city parks because of the impracticality of drilling on residential property, although the more I think about it, an oil well in my own back yard might have it's benefits.

My premise is based on the theory that the city owns the mineral rights under the parks, but this might apply only to the older sections of town.

There was a time when it just didn't occur to people to reserve mineral rights, particularly in subdivided city land. But, it probably happened much more frequently as the city grew onto ranch land under which oil had already been discovered.

So yes, if the city doesn't own any of the park minerals then whoever does own them would be the ones who should be interested in drilling. The city code would have to be amended in order to allow drilling in the city limits. So there's the possibility that city council could require an assignment of an expense free interest in petroleum production in return for code amendment. Then there's the possibility of a novel extension of Kelo vs. City of New London. (Best hurry on that last one.)

But first, is there oil down there or not? Before anyone starts the arduous task of digging through the county deed records they should first look at the old well records, logs and any available seismic data to determine whether and where it would be worth the effort.

[greg]

The pumpjack doesn't take up much room, but a tank battery might also be needed to store the oil prior to being trucked away, so more than double the size of the area.

The other consideration for having a pumpjack in a city park is drilling the well. Typical drilling locations require 2-4 acres of land for the rig and associated equipment. How many city parks could accommodate that large of an area being disrupted (flattened and graveled)? Maybe Beal Park, but I can't think of another. A horizontal well can tap a reservoir thousands of feet away from the rig, but the pumpjack goes where the rig once stood.

[Geo]

Greg, those are some things I had not considered. Perhaps a horizontal well from some less populated area might be the best option considering the area limitations in town.

I had always thought of horizontal drilling as a variation of slant hole drilling. But, the images resulting from a Google search suggest that the drill stem actually makes a right angle. Fascinating. And expensive, too, I would imagine.