California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater (COGG) Program
The USGS California Water Science Center is working in partnership with state and federal agencies to answer the following questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources:
- Where are protected groundwater resources?
- How close are oil and gas operations and protected groundwater, and what geologic materials separate them?
- Where is there evidence of fluids from oil and gas sources in protected groundwater? Where does evidence indicate no connections?
- When fluids from oil and gas sources are present in protected groundwater, what pathways or processes are responsible for observed transport?
- Have oil and gas operations as a whole contributed to water-quality changes in groundwater basins?
The program's framework was developed and adopted by the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) in July 2015.
The USGS is the technical lead in implementing the State Water Boards' Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Programthrough the COGG program. The program receives funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and USGS cooperative matching funds.
>> Explore the Program
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Historical groundwater and produced water chemistry data compiled for the Placerita and Newhall Oil Fields, Los Angeles County, southern California
Geological, geochemical, and geophysical data from the Lost Hills and Belridge oil fields
Geophysical and geological data for select petroleum wells in North Coles Levee Oil Field, Kern County, California
Geophysical, geological, hydrological, and geochemical data for aquifer salinity mapping in the Elk Hills, Buena Vista, and Coles Levee Oil Fields, Kern County, California
Produced water chemistry data for the Lost Hills, Fruitvale, and North and South Belridge study areas, Southern San Joaquin Valley, California (version 1.1, September 2020)
Historical Produced Water Chemistry Data Compiled for the North Coles Levee Oilfield, Kern County, California
Geochemical, geological, and geophysical data for wells in the Poso Creek oil and gas field, Kern County, California
Data used to estimate groundwater salinity above the Montebello oil field (California, USA)
Supporting groundwater salinity data used for salinity mapping adjacent to the Lost Hills and Belridge oil fields, Kern County, California
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey, southwestern San Joaquin Valley near Lost Hills, California, 2016
Historical groundwater and produced water chemistry data compiled for the San Ardo Oil Field and vicinity, Monterey County, central California
Mud logs from the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California
Below are publications associated with this project.
Geologic controls on groundwater salinity reversal in North Coles Levee Oil Field, southern San Joaquin Valley, California, USA
Occurrence of water and thermogenic gas from oil-bearing formations in groundwater near the Orcutt Oil Field, California, USA
Mapping aquifer salinity gradients and effects of oil field produced water disposal using geophysical logs: Elk Hills, Buena Vista and Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Valley, California
Geostatistical mapping of salinity conditioned on borehole logs, Montebello Oil Field, California
Investigating the effect of enhanced oil recovery on the noble gas signature of casing gases and produced waters from selected California oil fields
Stratigraphic and structural controls on groundwater salinity variations in the Poso Creek Oil Field, Kern County, California, USA
Noble gas signatures constrain oil-field water as the carrier phase of hydrocarbons occurring in shallow aquifers in the San Joaquin Basin, USA
Relative risk of groundwater-quality degradation near California (USA) oil fields estimated from 3H, 14C, and 4He
Groundwater quality of aquifers overlying the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California
Geochemistry and age of groundwater in the Williston Basin, USA: Assessing potential effects of shale-oil production on groundwater quality
Multiple-well monitoring site adjacent to the North and South Belridge Oil Fields, Kern County, California
Multiple-well monitoring site adjacent to the Lost Hills oil field, Kern County, California
Below are news stories associated with this project.
The USGS is the technical lead in implementing the State Water Boards' Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Program through the COGG program. The program receives funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and USGS cooperative matching funds.
The USGS California Water Science Center is working in partnership with state and federal agencies to answer the following questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources:
- Where are protected groundwater resources?
- How close are oil and gas operations and protected groundwater, and what geologic materials separate them?
- Where is there evidence of fluids from oil and gas sources in protected groundwater? Where does evidence indicate no connections?
- When fluids from oil and gas sources are present in protected groundwater, what pathways or processes are responsible for observed transport?
- Have oil and gas operations as a whole contributed to water-quality changes in groundwater basins?
The program's framework was developed and adopted by the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) in July 2015.
The USGS is the technical lead in implementing the State Water Boards' Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Programthrough the COGG program. The program receives funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and USGS cooperative matching funds.
>> Explore the Program
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Historical groundwater and produced water chemistry data compiled for the Placerita and Newhall Oil Fields, Los Angeles County, southern California
Geological, geochemical, and geophysical data from the Lost Hills and Belridge oil fields
Geophysical and geological data for select petroleum wells in North Coles Levee Oil Field, Kern County, California
Geophysical, geological, hydrological, and geochemical data for aquifer salinity mapping in the Elk Hills, Buena Vista, and Coles Levee Oil Fields, Kern County, California
Produced water chemistry data for the Lost Hills, Fruitvale, and North and South Belridge study areas, Southern San Joaquin Valley, California (version 1.1, September 2020)
Historical Produced Water Chemistry Data Compiled for the North Coles Levee Oilfield, Kern County, California
Geochemical, geological, and geophysical data for wells in the Poso Creek oil and gas field, Kern County, California
Data used to estimate groundwater salinity above the Montebello oil field (California, USA)
Supporting groundwater salinity data used for salinity mapping adjacent to the Lost Hills and Belridge oil fields, Kern County, California
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey, southwestern San Joaquin Valley near Lost Hills, California, 2016
Historical groundwater and produced water chemistry data compiled for the San Ardo Oil Field and vicinity, Monterey County, central California
Mud logs from the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California
Below are publications associated with this project.
Geologic controls on groundwater salinity reversal in North Coles Levee Oil Field, southern San Joaquin Valley, California, USA
Occurrence of water and thermogenic gas from oil-bearing formations in groundwater near the Orcutt Oil Field, California, USA
Mapping aquifer salinity gradients and effects of oil field produced water disposal using geophysical logs: Elk Hills, Buena Vista and Coles Levee Oil Fields, San Joaquin Valley, California
Geostatistical mapping of salinity conditioned on borehole logs, Montebello Oil Field, California
Investigating the effect of enhanced oil recovery on the noble gas signature of casing gases and produced waters from selected California oil fields
Stratigraphic and structural controls on groundwater salinity variations in the Poso Creek Oil Field, Kern County, California, USA
Noble gas signatures constrain oil-field water as the carrier phase of hydrocarbons occurring in shallow aquifers in the San Joaquin Basin, USA
Relative risk of groundwater-quality degradation near California (USA) oil fields estimated from 3H, 14C, and 4He
Groundwater quality of aquifers overlying the Oxnard Oil Field, Ventura County, California
Geochemistry and age of groundwater in the Williston Basin, USA: Assessing potential effects of shale-oil production on groundwater quality
Multiple-well monitoring site adjacent to the North and South Belridge Oil Fields, Kern County, California
Multiple-well monitoring site adjacent to the Lost Hills oil field, Kern County, California
Below are news stories associated with this project.
The USGS is the technical lead in implementing the State Water Boards' Oil and Gas Regional Groundwater Monitoring Program through the COGG program. The program receives funding from the California State Water Resources Control Board, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and USGS cooperative matching funds.