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The Worst Oil Spill in US History

By grrlscientist on June 8, 2010.

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This video discusses the worst oil spill in US history, the Lakeview Gusher Number One that occurred 100 years ago in Kern County, California. The gusher, drilled by the Lakeview Oil Company, blew on March 14, 1910, when the drill reached the 2,440-foot level. This gusher shot oil more than 200 feet into the air for an astonishing 544 days, spewing more than 9 million barrels (378 million gallons/1.4 billion liters) of oil into the environment -- less than half of which was removed. The large flow created a creek of crude oil running downhill from the well site that was contained by walls built of sand bags, rock and even sage brush. The rest of that oil remains in place to this very day and even 100 years later, this oil-contaminated area is not good for anything, although there is a museum there [State Historic Landmark #485] describing the oil spill.

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Kern County gusher
Lakeview Gusher Number One
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The Worst Oil Spill in US History
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environment
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Puts a new light on the plans for the reclamation project hyped in this video...though I'm not sure if there's a reasonable analogy to be drawn between the Lakeview site and the Athabasca Oil Sands....is there?

Lakeview Gusher Number One may retain title as "biggest", but Deepwater Horizon may earn the title of "worst". Its intimate connection with a huge region and its effects on ecosystems and human endeavors make it disastrous.

Some apologists try to minimize the seriousness of events, and the culpability of corporations and laissez faire policies. My comments for them are at the link.