Two Billionth Barrel

Two Billionth Barrel. . Andrews County produced it’s 2nd billionth barrel of crude oil August 21, 1981. Sixteen years and 96 days after its first billionth barrel came from beneath the county’s 1500 square miles., In producing two billion barrels in 52 years, Andrews became the third county in Texas history to do so. Ector and Gregg counties had entered the record book earlier., In an energy-starved nation, revitalized multi-pay production zones in Andrews underwent secondary recovery and a few were on the threshold of tertiary recovery methods to yield almost 40 million barrels of crude annually along with 32 million cubic feet of gas., Almost one billion dollars of petroleum products were sold from beneath Andrews land in 1981 and fueled a fast-paced economic upturn in the community. Population figures for the county were estimated at 14,000 plus at the end of the year., The county ranked 8th in the state in production of crude oil as over 2,000 oil field workers received $40.6 million in payrolls. State taxes of $43.3 million were paid on Andrews petroleum products during the year., A community-wide celebration marked the occasion of the two billionth barrel as the entire citizenry joined in marking the historic occasion., Pumping unit by Lufkin, foundation by Ruthco, wellhead by Amoco, labor by NL Well Service, and services by county employees.