ABSTRACT: The Discovery and Development of Pierce Road Gas Field, Sutter County, California

SUCHSLAND, REINHARD, Dekalb Energy, Bakersfield, CA

Pierce Road gas field is located approximately 6 mi southwest of Yuba City, Sutter County, California. The 1 Dekalb Webb, Sec. 12, T14N, R2E, MDB&M, spudded in 1987 and was drilled to a depth of 5615 ft. A string of 5.5-in. casing was set at 5070 ft and the well was selectively perforated in an Upper Cretaceous lower Forbes sand as follows: 4898-4500 ft, 4880-4888 ft, 4866-4876 ft, and 4860-4867 ft. The well flowed 3035 MCFD with 1840# tubing pressure on a 0.25-in. choke. As of November 1, 1991, 12 wells have been drilled and 11 completed from various Forbes horizons, Dobbins, and Guinda. All of the gas is sold to Greenleaf Cogeneration.

Forbes gas accumulations are highly stratigraphic as expected and appear to be limited to 320 ac or less. Dobbins and Guinda production also has a stratigraphic component and may be related to basement relief. Overall, the productive trend is about 1 mi wide and 3.5 mi long.

The structure at a lower Forbes sequence boundary is best described as a slightly irregular southwest-dipping homocline with dip in the range of 2-3 ft. The trend and field is bisected by a major basement-related northeast/southwest trending normal fault with up to 150 ft displacement in the area. A majority of the gas found to date in the Pierce Road gas field can be described as being in proximity to this fault both on the upthrown and downthrown sides, which would suggest that the fault may provide a component of structural closure.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91016©1992 AAPG-SEPM-SEG-EMD Pacific Section Meeting, Sacramento, California, April 27-May 1, 1992 (2009)