History of the Avila Tank Farm (Fossil Point)
Fossil Point, located on the bluffs above eastern Avila Beach, shares much of the same early history as the rest of Avila Beach - originating with centuries of Chumash Indian occupation to years of discovery and development by Spanish and American settlers. Previously known as the Avila Tank Farm or the Unocal Tank Farm, it played a significant role in the history of this small community - influencing Avila Beach’s position as a major national oil port in the early 1900’s, servicing the nation’s then-growing demands for fuel, assisting with wartime efforts and responding to a period of heightened environmental awareness which called for changing policies and technologies locally and nationwide. There are four main periods marking the history of Fossil Point:
- 1900 – 1910
- 1910 – 1945
- 1945 – 1997
- 1997 – present
• 1900 – 1910
In 1906, Union Oil, later Union Oil of California (Unocal), acquired the title to the Avila Tank Farm property, now called Fossil Point. The Avila Tank Farm, pump station and refinery began operations in early 1910, and the facility included two boilers; one each for the refinery and the pump station. Due to greater fuel demand, the Producer’s Transportation Company 8-inch pipeline carrying oil from the San Joaquin Valley and Kern County was completed in 1910. (From Avila Beach Phase I Expansion History Investigation, October 31, 1997, p.4-5, 5-8, & 6-3.)
• 1910 – 1945
From 1914 to 1922 Port San Luis became the largest crude oil shipping port in the world. Union Oil company housing for 300 employees was built on the northern portion of Avila Tank Farm--available from 1920 – 1940. Small merchants opened businesses to meet the growing needs of the community. From 1914-1918 (WWI) and 1939 – 1945 (WWII), the nation’s war efforts brought a heavy dependence on fuel. During these conflicts, the Federal government placed protective forces at Avila Tank Farm and at Port San Luis.  The oil supplied from Avila Tank Farm “was a factor in the success of the United States winning the Pacific Rim efforts.” (From Project Avila- Ginder, Dale, p. 95, p.124, p. 95)
• 1945 – 1996
At the end of WWII, gasoline was in greater demand, but demand had decreased for the fuel oil used for war-related equipment. The 1948 Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 1955 Federal Air Pollution Control Act and the 1969 establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), among other things, began to improve the quality of our nation’s resources and provided an overall heightened environmental awareness. In the late 1980’s, a local resident discovered soil contamination on his property, which was eventually attributed to Unocal’s past operations and leaking underground pipes. Avila Beach Remediation efforts lasted from 1992 – 2000. The tank farm facility became idle in 1994.
(From Project Avila – Ginder, Dale, p. 96, p. 155, www.api.org/ehs/partnerships/environmental/avilabeach.cfm “Avila Beach: A New Beginning”, and from Avila Beach Phase I Expansion History Investigation, October 31, 1997, p. 7-2)
• 1997 – present.
Unocal removed the tanks from Fossil Point in 1997. Chevron purchased the former tank farm as part of acquisition of Unocal in 2005. Chevron chose Rob Rossi’s group, Fossil Point LLC, to formulate the land-use plan for the 95-acre site. A citizen panel, The Fossil Point Dialog Committee, is helping plan the future of Fossil Point.
(From Tribune article, 20 Feb 2007, “Citizens Panel Formed to Plan Avila’s Fossil Point”)
Content for this website was compiled using a variety of sources. If you have input or note any inaccurate information, please contact us at info@fossilpoint.com.
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