201 wells across 58 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at summary refresh.
Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Quick answer: The Eel River Basin formation in California has 201 wells on record across 58 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh. Its operators with the most wells on record are California Resources Production, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Chevron, Harvest Petroleum and Zephyr Oil Company. Source: Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Eel River Basin formation in California:
| # | Operator | Wells in Eel River Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Resources Production | 44 |
| 2 | Pacific Gas & Electric Company | 23 |
| 3 | Chevron | 16 |
| 4 | Harvest Petroleum | 13 |
| 5 | Zephyr Oil Company | 11 |
| 6 | Arco Western Energy | 8 |
| 7 | Jas E Babcock | 6 |
| 8 | Natural Gas CORP Of Calif | 4 |
| 9 | Energy Development | 3 |
| 10 | Gregory G Minshall Trust | 3 |
The California counties with the most Eel River Basin activity:
Humboldt, Del Norte
The Eel River Basin is not among the California formations tracked separately in the yearly permit mix, so only statewide permit counts are shown.
| Year | State permits | This formation | Share | Median lateral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,510 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 5,530 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 5,346 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 940 | — | — | — |
| 2022 | 757 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | 130 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | 1,825 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 2,587 | — | — | — |
Share of each year’s California drilling permits by target formation, for the formations with the most permits.
| Year | Monterey-Temblor | San Joaquin Basin | Monterey | Coastal Basins | Sacramento Basin | Los Angeles Basin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31% | 39.9% | 11.3% | 8.5% | 4.8% | 2.2% |
| 2025 | 49% | 33.7% | 8.8% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 1.3% |
| 2024 | 50.9% | 36.8% | 5.2% | 0.8% | 2.4% | 1.8% |
| 2023 | 33.7% | 55.1% | 5% | 0.3% | 1.8% | 2.8% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | 81.5% | 2% | 3.8% | — | 3.8% |
| 2021 | 50.8% | 30.8% | 16.2% | 2.3% | — | — |
| 2020 | 71.1% | 24.9% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 40% | 40% | 15.2% | 2.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
Buckhead Energy computes every figure on this page from grouped records in public oil and gas data. The page shows counts, sums, percentiles and indexes only; it does not list individual wells, leases or permits.
Counts under 3 wells and percentiles under 5 wells are withheld; totals are floors.
Share is the formation’s permits as a percent of the state’s permits that year. Median lateral length is published only when at least 5 permits stand behind it.
Last computed: 2026-10-03. These figures are informational only and are not a valuation of any mineral or royalty interest.
The Eel River Basin is a formation/play group recorded in California, with 201 wells on file across 58 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Eel River Basin in the 24-month window at summary refresh. These are stored records, not a live measure of drilling.
Recorded formation activity provides regional context. It does not establish ownership, future production, royalty payments or a value for an individual tract. Consult qualified professionals about your specific interest.
201 wells target the Eel River Basin in California, worked by 58 recorded operators, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
The Eel River Basin operators with the most wells on record in California are California Resources Production, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Chevron, Harvest Petroleum and Zephyr Oil Company. The full ranking is in the table on this page. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Operators filed 0 drilling permits targeting the Eel River Basin in the 24-month window at source refresh, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Operators filed 0 new drilling permits targeting the Eel River Basin in California in the 24-month window at source refresh. New permits and spuds record reported activity stages; they do not establish ongoing drilling, per Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Eel River Basin activity in California includes 201 wells on record and 58 recorded operators, with 0 drilling permits filed in the 24-month window at source refresh — from Buckhead Energy analysis of public oil and gas data. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
The primary counties recorded for Eel River Basin in California are Humboldt, Del Norte. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. This page is informational only, not a valuation. Formation summary date: 2026-10-03.
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Formation: Eel River Basin
State: California
Total wells: 201
Recorded operators: 58
Permits 24mo: 0
Summary date: 2026-10-03
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