In Long Beach and neighboring Signal Hill, oil wells are not just a distant part of California history. A new interactive map and a fresh look at state records show hundreds of uncapped and idle wells cutting through residential neighborhoods, some within view of parks, playgrounds and schoolyards. The findings are ramping up pressure from scientists and parent groups to speed up well plugging, boost methane monitoring and make oil companies shoulder the cleanup bill.
Statewide Analysis Flags Thousands of Sensitive Sites
A recent review of CalGEM and other public records found nearly 3,800 schools, hospitals, parks and eldercare centers across California within roughly one kilometer of idle wells, and tallied at least 4,449 idle wells inside the state's 3,200-foot “health protection” zones, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The group has published an interactive map that lets residents plug in specific addresses or neighborhoods to see nearby wells, and is urging regulators to focus plugging work near sensitive sites and to step up methane monitoring.
Long Beach and Signal Hill Sit in the Oil Patch
The statewide numbers get very local very fast. As reported by the Long Beach Post, CalGEM data show more than 750 active wells and roughly 378 idle wells spread across Long Beach and Signal Hill, with more than 2,900 wells already plugged citywide. On a map, the wells line up in dense streaks from the Traffic Circle area toward Recreation Park and into the Los Cerritos Wetlands, a pattern that is easy to spot on CalGEM’s public Well Finder.
Health and Climate Concerns
Unplugged and idle wells can leak methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, along with likely carcinogens such as benzene and formaldehyde. Researchers have linked those pollutants to respiratory and cardiovascular harms. A 2017 registry based study in PLOS One found associations between living near oil and gas development and certain childhood hematologic cancers, although the authors and other experts caution that more research is needed to fully understand the exposure pathways.
Cleanup Costs Run Into the Billions
Sealing off old wells does not come cheap. A California Council on Science & Technology analysis of state plugging contracts shows district averages ranging from about $40,000 for coastal wells to roughly $152,000 in Southern California, with an onshore sample average near $68,000 per well. An estimate commissioned by Carbon Tracker and reported by ProPublica put the total cost to plug and remediate onshore wells as high as $21.5 billion statewide, while industry and regulators have posted only a fraction of the financial assurance needed to cover that work.
Statute and Lawsuits Are Already in Play
The fight over who pays and how fast cleanup happens is unfolding against a tense legal backdrop. The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in mid January challenging SB 1137, the law that blocks new wells within 3,200 feet of homes, schools and hospitals, arguing that federal law preempts the state measure, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a separate case, mineral rights owners, including a brother and sister pair, have sued state regulators in federal court; their complaint is available on Scribd.
Advocates say the map should serve as a wake up call, especially for communities that did not realize how close they are living, learning and playing to idle wells. The interactive map from the Center for Biological Diversity and state records reported by the Long Beach Post give residents a clearer view of what sits near their homes and schools, and they have already prompted fresh scrutiny of how quickly city and state agencies will respond.
