In a recent letter to the editor concerning Aera Energy’s plans to drill 296 oil wells in Cat Canyon, Aera’s spokesperson states that “ … California regulations and industry best practices are specifically designed to protect groundwater … ”
In truth, these “best practices” allow for the dumping of wastewater from the recovery of oil into unlined, open pits, aka “percolation ponds,” where the substances can seep through the earth into the groundwater. This practice has been banned in nearly every state in the U.S. — including Texas — but not in California.
As a result, oil from Aera’s Belridge oilfield leaked into the groundwater of the Starrh Family Farm in Kern County, where they grow 6,000 acres of pistachios, cotton, almonds, and alfalfa.