The Goldsmith/Lakeshore Field is a 14 kilometer long oil field located in Mersea and Romney Townships, southwestern Ontario. Since its discovery in 1985, the field has produced a total of 5 MMSTB oil and 3 Bcf gas from the Middle Ordovician carbonates of the Trenton Group. The field currently produces approximately 700 bopd and 1 Mmcfg/d (870 boe/d) from a total of 40 wells.

Fracturing was critical in the creation of a productive reservoir in the Goldsmith/Lakeshore Field. Strike slip faulting and associated hydrothermal dolomitization of the regional Trenton and Black River limestones have resulted in a heterogenous reservoir that has posed challenges to the successful development of the field.

This paper will present an integrated case study of the development of the Goldsmith/Lakeshore Field examining geological, geophysical, and engineering aspects of the field. The development history illustrates an evolution over time in the approach taken by the field’s operators to maximize production and reserves. In particular, the successful application of horizontal drilling to develop an extension of the field beneath Lake Erie will be examined in detail.

November 22, 2002 marked the seventeenth anniversary of the spud date for the discovery well in the Goldsmith/Lakeshore Field. With estimated remaining reserves of approximately 2 MMSTB oil and 1 Bcf gas, it is expected that the field will continue to make a significant contribution to Ontario’s total oil production for several years to come.