Baham activates fifth "workover" well

John Baham is doing well for himself and property owners.

He said last week that he’s taking old oil wells and  making them new again as he activated his fifth “workover” oil well within a one-mile radius in fields south of town.

“We’re making a little oil, we’re averaging about two to three barrels a day per well,” said John Baham. “We knew that going into it that we weren’t going to make a whole lot but if you get that everyday...it gets to be enough revenue to keep going.”

Baham said that he recently acquired more wells, east of town, as he continues to search for “state-orphaned oil wells” and reactivate them. He said that due to foreclosures many of the wells were seized by the state, plugged and then abandoned.

The process of making the new wells pump with life is a matter of getting permission for a lease from land owners and then getting approval of the state, according to Baham.

“These are oil wells that people don’t want to mess with anymore because they don’t make enough for them to go,” said Baham. “That’s the ones we want. We’re always looking for other oil wells. Maybe some that someone has on that property that nobody is doing anything with, you know, I might want to try and make them some money again. I’m always willing to look.”

John Baham, Jr., one of John’s sons, who was on-site during the activation of the fifth workover well, said that he remains optimistic about the work and its impact on the community.

“I think that it’s a good venture for my dad because it something for him to expand on what he’s already built,” said John, Jr. “I think we’re creating some jobs here in Eunice. I mean, we buy all of our parts and supplies here in Eunice. 

“I think it’s a good thing. It’s good for us, it’s good for the city and hopefully it’ll get bigger and we can hire more people and spend more money in the community. The goal is always to get bigger. You don’t go into to business to plateau, you always want to be bigger.”