W Withheld to avoid disclosing individual company confidential data; included
with "Undistributed."1 Quantity figures courtesy of California Department
of Conservation, Division of Oil & Gas.146 
MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1967 
 
the humus material. The latter, was sold unprepared, directly from the pit.
All reed-sedge peat was shredded before shipment and one producer made bulk
sales only while the other packaged two-thirds of his output. All the peat
moss was shredded, kiln dried, and packaged. In all instances the material
was sold for soil improvement uses. 
 
 Petroleum.—Production from an average of 41,608 active producing wells,
274 more than in 1966, rose 4 percent from 1966 levels and averaged 985,000
barrels daily. The major increases were in the Wilmington field (Los Angeles
County), up 45,000 barrels daily, and the Kern River field (Kern ' County),
up 16,000 barrels daily. Fields with lesser increases were Midway-Sunset,
McKittrick, and Cymric (Kern County), and the new Crescent Heights field,
in downtown Los Angeles. 
 Completion *of 205 new wells in the Wilmington field, 178 of which were
on the four offshore islands near Long Beach, 
raised the oil production from this field to 190,000 barrels daily, making
Wilmington the most productive field in the United States. The newly developed
Crescent Heights field, drilled from a simulated office building in the City
of Los Angeles, was producing 20,000 barrels daily by yearend. New wells
in all counties totaled 2,385, an increase of 21 percent. Kern River field
led the State with 571 new wells, followed by Midway-Sunset with 441. Average
depth of new wells was only 
2,226 feet, compared with 2,906 feet in 
1966, reflecting the drilling activity in shallow fields for thermal (steam)
stimulation, which was greater in 1967 than in any preceding year. 
 Former producing wells abandoned during the year totaled 2,125. 
 Production using thermal recovery methods, particularly steam stimulation,
increased 16 percent over the 1966 output. Steam injection projects toaled
208, 15 less than in 1966, principally as a result 
 
Table 7.—Production of natural gas liquids, by counties 
(Thousand gallons and thousand dollars) 
 LP gases and ethane Natural gasoline  and isopentane 
County 
Num 
Condensate 1 
ber of Quantity Value Quantity Value plants 
Quantity Value 
1966: 
 
Contra Costa                                                    
 2,560 $205 
Fresno 2 W W W W 
 
Kern 18 115,880 $5,976 138,906 $11,524Kings 3 W W W WLosAngeles 18 53,908
2,491 153,307 11,906Orange 5 16,511 737 97,881 7,460Sacramento          
                                          
 27,352 2,216 
 482 38 
San Luis Obispo 1 W W W WSanta Barbara 6 57,392 2,780 70,703 5,616So!ano
                                                        
 37,657 3,084 2,531 205 
 Ventura 10 57,051 2,362 98,017 6,147 Undistributeci  52,422 2,958 48,472
3,998 
 Total 63 353,164 17,304607,286 46,651 
 
1967: 
 
 
 70,582 5,748 
 
 
Contra Costa                                                    
 1,848 $148 
Fresno 2 W W W WKern 19 120,361 $6,510 135,492 $11,226Kings 3 W W W WLosAngeles
18 55,946 2,760 148,200 11,314Orange 5 17,121 816 94,649 7,091Sacramento
                                                    
 26,334 2,132 
 378 30 
San Luis Obispo 1 W W W WSanta Barbara 6 59,575 3,081 68,333 5,338Solano
                                                        
 24,738 2,004 2,436 198 
Ventura 10 59,209 2,620 94,773 5,841Undistributed  54,431 3,278 46,803 3,800

 
Total 64 366,643 19,065 588,250 44,610 
 55,734 4,512