Slick Eagle Ford Shale holds the treasure

There is something that is hidden right here in Gonzales’ backyard. In fact, it is one of the most productive and treasure-filled commodities known to man in this modern world we live in today.

But just how did this happen almost seemingly overnight? And what does this mean for Gonzales?

The answer lies hundreds of feet underground – as people of Gonzales walk over the treasure that could reap benefits for years to come.

In the depths of Gonzales County and below lies a part of the Eagle Ford Shale, known to many engineers and oil producing companies as one of the largest onshore natural gas and oil discoveries in the past half century.

 The Eagle Ford stretches from the deep South Texas Valley up as far as northeast Texas roughly 50 miles wide and over 400 miles long.

This shale formation is found under the Austin Chalk and lies 4,000 to 12,000 feet below the surface with a thickness of about 250 feet.

The southern half of Gonzales County is reaping the benefits of the Eagle Ford Shale, already thriving with oil leases aplenty.

The northern most tip of the oil producing part of the Eagle Ford Shale tapers off into Gonzales County.

Just in 2010 alone, the shale plays generated close to $2.9 billion in revenue, supported roughly 12,600 full-time jobs and provided nearly $47.6 million in local government revenue.

The shale produces an abundance of clean natural gas, condensate, oil and natural gas liquids.

The leading active companies tapping into the Eagle Ford Shale are Chesapeake Energy, Apache and EOG Resources.

A study shows that the shale could have more than 5,000 new wells drilled by 2020 and as many as 68,000 full-time jobs in the Eagle Ford Shale area.