The green triangles are known oil seeps.
Posted on 03/19/2005 4:50:11 PM PST by The Grim Freeper
Today, my mother asked me to come see something in their Los Gatos back yard. She took me out to the corner of their large lot (large for Los Gatos, anyway), and she pointed out to me some black, shiny substance seeping out of the ground in patches, and along a line about 10 feet in length. The last heavy rain had made this substance come to the surface.
I said "It looks like oil," and she said she thought so, too. I stuck my finger in it, and it was black, slick, and after I'd rubbed it around to almost a drying point, a little bit gunky. Like crude oil.
We know my parent's property sits on a water table, because the last big earthquake, they weren't anxious to sit in the house, so they sat on the ground, and the ground was all wet (even though it hadn't rained in months).
Also, the heavy rains have caused a number of cracks to appear and/or widen in the brick work and driveway and porches and patios of my parents older home. We definitely are expecting a "big one." We just don't know when, of course. We weathered the Loma Prieta earthquake with a minimum of property damage and some major "rattled" nerves.
But all that is to say, has anyone here ever heard of such a thing? Could crude oil be seeping to the ground surface due to the heavy rains? Could it be something else? If it's oil, what do we do? Do we report it?
As I mentioned, I am a pretty bad law student. I haven't taken Oil & Gas as yet, and my Property class focused mainly on the Rule of Perpetuities, which is utterly pointless.
I was just hoping to provide some information so far as I knew, clearly prefaced with the caveat that I am for the most part unknowledgeable on the subject. I suggested that the Grim Freeper contact a competent attorney, which is still good advice. Plus you may not have posted your own commentary "but for" my own!
1) I agree with the other freeps who are saying the mineral rights are probably owned by someone else.
2) I'd suggest getting the goo tested. It could be heaven-knows-what from prior dumping. Except....if you do that then when you/your parents want to sell the property, you'll have to disclose it....
But if I lived there, I'd really want to know what the stuff is.
Call Jed Clampette. Better yet, Ellie May.
Black Gold . . . Texas Tea . . .
Question...... where is Los Gatos ? Maybe I should know but I don't...
This is a good thing if you are not a democrat.
Even if you don't have mineral and water rights -- check your deed to make sure -- your property is still valuable, because they would need to buy your property to drill.
The Gulf of California has more pollution coming from oil seeping up from the ocean floor than Texas has with all its drilling platforms. And the incredibly ignorant Californians are letting millions of dollars worth of crude go to waste when their state is broke. I guess when you are stupid enough to let the enviro-nazis run your state, you just have to suffer. Too bad Texas and Louisiana can't cut off the people of CA and FLA and make them ride bicycles to work. They certainly don't deserve our oil.
*laughs cynically* You now know everything you need to know about law school.
Hint: You will only learn anything useful in your bar review course at the end.
I know...I feel kinda bad about that...but after the other things going on, a light-hearted thread was a relief.
I think he's gotten some good advice regardless by the handful of non-smart-alecks present.
That oily stuff is going to be in the way if your parents ever want to install a cement pond.
This has the makings of a fun thread. Thread, go bump!
LOL!
The green triangles are known oil seeps.
christ man! Go wash your friggin FINGER ASAP! Its most likely sewage/poop!
The area where the oil is seeping through had a fig tree and a walnut tree in it until a couple years ago. They just got too old, and died, and had to be cut down.
By the way, "The Front Porch" poster--do you mean "The Front Porch" in Los Gatos? I think that was a great store. Where did you move to?
Excellent tagline.
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