South Belridge Oil Field

[1][2] The principal operator on the field was Aera Energy LLC, a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil.

Most native vegetation is gone from the oil field, with the most dense operational areas being almost completely barren except for pumping units, drilling pads, evaporation ponds, storage tanks, steam generators, and associated equipment.

In spite of this seeming sterility, species such as the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (vulpes macrotis mutica) continue to use areas of oil field development as habitat.

[5] A total of six oil pools have been found in the South Belridge: the Tulare, Etchegoin, Diatomite, Antelope Shale, McDonald, and Devilwater-Gould.

Only two of the pools contained significant enough reserves to be subject to enhanced recovery projects: the Tulare and Diatomite, both of which have been steamflooded, waterflooded, and fireflooded.

[1] Whittier and partner Burton E. Green recruited three other investors and together formed the Belridge Oil Company, which purchased the 33,000 acre property for $1,000,000.

The South Belridge Oil Field in Southern and Central California. Other oil fields are shown in gray.
The San Joaquin kit fox . Kit foxes can be found on the South Belridge and other Kern County oil fields, as they are tolerant of disturbance, and sometimes use pipes and man-made openings as dens.
A row of nodding donkey oil wells at the South Belridge Field
Render of proposed solar field at the South Belridge Field
A rendering of the in-development solar field being built at the South Belridge Field