Investigation Citrus Lane oil well under Ladera Ranch CalGEM’s Aug 2026 review found no concerns but in 2002 CalGEM noted well is not to be built over

DMB Ladera LLC the developer of Ladera Ranch Ca knew that there were two old abandoned oil & gas wells under the proposed Ladera Ranch community in July 2001 when the wells were unearthed during site development. DMB Ladera LLC had the old oil & gas wells recapped by Oct 2002 at a cost of at least $180,00 each, and continued building Ladera Ranch even though re-abandonment notations of October 24th, 2002 on the 100 year old Union Oil Company oil & gas well located under Citrus Lane sidewalk was deep drilled to 4,350 feet indicated that "this well is not to be built over without further consideration". DMB ladera LLC knew about the decades old oil wells in 2001 and just continued with the $100 million dollar master plan, keeping the information secret for 25 years.

UPDATE 10/10/2026: Investigation Citrus Lane oil well Ladera Ranch CA on August 31st, 2026. The California Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) conducted a review of a historic well (the O’Neill well) on Citrus Lane in Ladera Ranch deep drilled to 4,350 feet. CalGEM’s review found no concerns and found that the level of risk is no different than that of similar wells that have been capped. ​​The exploratory O’Neill well was drilled in the Ladera Ranch area of southern Orange County in 1920 to a depth of . It was abandoned (filled and capped) in 1921 after no oil formations were found and the potential for gas was reported as small and “non-producible.” 

​​​​​​​In 2002, DMB Ladera re-abandoned and sealed the Citrus Lane well during the development of the Ladera Ranch neighborhood. A test of the Citrus Lane well found no leaks. CalGEM issued a Final Letter of Abandonment dated March 24, 2003, but work was stopped when the drilling crew hit cement at 100 feet down, why? CalGEM recently reviewed the well file and found that the re-abandonment work was stopped when it hit cement 100 feet down. Because the presence of cement in the well was not documented in the well file, the 2003 Final Letter will be rescinded and replaced shortly. This does not reflect a change in risk level for the well, ​which is no different than similar wells that have been capped. 

Under the California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 14, Section 1723, specific mandates dictate how operators must handle obstructions or "junk" during well plugging and abandonment operations managed by CalGEM. If an obstruction or "junk" is lodged in the wellbore and cannot be removed after diligent efforts. Down-Squeezing Required: If the unrecoverable junk prevents normal plugging across freshwater/saltwater interfaces or oil/gas zones, operators are required to down-squeeze cement through or past the obstruction under pressure, this could cost up to $400,000 for each old oil well, it was not done in Ladera Ranch CA.

CalGEM conducted a field visit on August 31, 2026, same day LA Times reporter Clara Harter published my investigation of the oil wells under Ladera Ranch CA. The approximate location of the well is beneath the sidewalk, directly in front of a residential property on Citrus Lane Ladera Ranch CA. Optical gas imaging (OGI) leak detection, using a Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) camera was used to check the Citrus Lane well and surrounding location. No gas was observed using the FLIR camera.

Sarasota Private Investigator Bill Warner, True Crime Stories, Bill Warner Investigations Sarasota Fl