San Ardo Oil Field: State Files Separate Work Plan to Sidetrack Two Existing Wells

SAN ARDO, Monterey County — October 29, 2026. California’s oil and gas regulator documented work on two existing wells in the San Ardo Oil Field. CalGEM posted the project as SCH 2026070753 on July 20, 2026.

What does sidetracking a well involve?

Sidetracking means drilling a different path from an existing wellbore. According to the state’s description, the technique can bypass obstructions or access another area of the same underground formation to restore or continue a well’s operation. The filing describes sidetracking two existing wells, rather than an entirely new drilling field.

How is this different from the eight-well project?

A separate San Ardo environmental decision, SCH 2026010906, concerned six new cyclic steam-injection wells and two steamflood injection wells. California58 previously reported that eight-well project. The July administrative grouping is not the same application or activity, and its scope should not be added to the earlier well count as though all permits described a single new drilling proposal.

What did regulators conclude?

CalGEM’s July notice cites a Class 1 exemption for existing facilities. The exemption concerns the described limited changes; it is not independent confirmation of the wells’ present operating condition, current oil production or completion of every field activity.

Why does this matter?

Oil-field proposals can raise questions about subsurface well integrity, water handling, monitoring and the environmental footprint of existing operations. Residents and landowners should identify the project number and request the relevant CalGEM records before making claims about specific wells.

Primary source: CalGEM — Aera San Ardo Two Wells Administrative Grouping, July 20, 2026. Separate prior eight-well case: SCH 2026010906.

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