Union Oil Tank Farm (site)

USA / California / San Luis Obispo / Tank Farm Road, 1
 oil/fuel storage tank, historical layer / disappeared object, fuel depot
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Tank Farm Road in San Luis Obispo cuts through the center of a 332-acre former oil storage facility. Union Oil Company of California (Union Oil) built its San Luis Obispo Tank Farm at the beginning of the 20th century when the oil industry was booming and space was needed to store crude oil produced from the San Joaquin Valley and Santa Maria Valley oil fields.

In 1926, lightning sparked a massive five-day fire so intense it created its own weather system. Millions of barrels of oil were either burned or were released below the surface of the property during the fire. The disaster left some residual oil impacts to soil and groundwater that still remain at the site today.

Oil storage operations at San Luis Obispo Tank Farm ceased in the 1980's and the tanks themseves were removed in the 1990's.
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Coordinates:   35°14'45"N   120°39'34"W
This article was last modified 8 years ago