Environmental Impact of Early Oil Extraction Infrastructure

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The earliest aerial photograph reviewed for Phase I ESA purposes was taken in 1943. The previous alignment of Highway 101, now called Santa Maria Way (or Business U.S. 101), is bordering the site to the west. An unpaved road had been constructed through the southern portion of the site that appears to be the access road to oil well Holmes No. 1, which is just east of the site, connecting it to Highway 101. The unpaved road through the site is looped with what appears to be four round tanks in the center of the loop. These structures are presumed to be oil storage tanks for the nearby oil well Holmes No. 1. Based on this photograph, it appears that one or more of these tanks are on the subject site and they are considered an environmental …show more content…

The map depicts the site as vacant with the above mentioned loop roadway in the southern portion of the site. The main roadways in the area were set up in a grid pattern with minor roadways filling in the grid. Two buildings are indicated just west of the site boundary, with one of them at or near the location of the currently vacant restaurant at 2712 Santa Maria Way, while the other is just south of the restaurant at 2726 Santa Maria Way. Structures such as oil derricks, ASTs, and oil sumps were located in the surrounding area, consistent with the development of the Santa Maria Valley Oil Field, which was discovered in the early 1930s. Oil wells S.M. No. 1, Holmes No. 1, and Twitchell-Weging No. 2 are depicted to the north, east, and southeast of the subject site, respectively. Much of the site vicinity to the north, northeast, west, and southwest was developed for oil production as part of the Santa Maria Valley Oil Field. The Santa Maria Airport, originally called the Santa Maria Army Air Field, is depicted approximately 1 mile southwest of the subject site. The airport was built during World War II to provide training for B-25 bomber pilots. After the war, the name of the airport was changed to the Santa Maria Public …show more content…

Residential developments in the area expanded north and east of the site, and the parcels across Santa Maria Way appear to have been graded in preparation for development. The 1982 topographic map shows an increase in development to the surrounding vicinity but no changes to the subject site. It is noted that the 1981 aerial photograph shows Miller Street to the south and east of the site; however, the 1982 topographic map does not depict the construction of Miller Street. The 1982 city directory lists “Mansell Custom Engines” at 2662 Santa Maria Way. No other listing or database information was provided pertaining to this listing. Machine shops routinely use solvents in the cleaning and degreasing of metals parts, therefore, the listing of a machine shop at 2662 Santa Maria Way is considered an environmental concern for the subject

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