[sailaway21]

You have to read a long way down in the comments section before you get to the fundamental point that Camaraderie is making. And what may be missing from the otherwise interesting discussion of technology is that, when crude prices rise to a certain point, it is well worth the effort to revisit old "unproductive" fields where it is often found that, with newer technology, substantial oil can yet be withdrawn. The obsession with disparaging "small" deposits reflects two things; an irrational desire to have a huge, one-source supply of oil and a lack of knowledge of the drilling industry. Non-drillers want all the answers before the drilling starts, not knowing that we really don't know what's down there, or down there 100 yards away even, until we actually drill. This is as much a black art as it is science. Highly educated geologists make mistakes all the time in determining where to drill. And you can spend millions on just a test hole!

We see the same thing in the water well industry. Individual customers, and even municipalities, want one big well that will provide all their needs, forever. The idea that they would be better served by multiple, smaller wells seems just a ploy by the driller to drill more footage in their view. Of course, when production drops they're upset with the driller for some odd reason. Municipalities finesse the point that they were unwilling to pay for enough water wells by, logically, storing pumped water in large water towers. (that's why you still have water even though the power went out everywhere) An over-reliance on stored water versus adequate well numbers and production is what causes your city to institute water rationing in the summer. Those unenlightened souls who failed to see the advantage of a public water supply do not usually have to suffer from such rationing, or the cost of a water bill for less water. (!)