A term denoting the joint operation of separately owned producing leases in a pool or reservoir. Unitization makes it economically feasible to undertake cycling, pressure maintenance, or secondary recovery programs. With the knowledge that a pool or a reservoir is a unit or an entity, with its own pressure system and a continuous oil-bearing strata, unitization was the logical arrangement to maintain as long as possible the productive life of the pool. In such an arrangement, each lease bears its prorata share of the expense of any project undertaken, as well as a share of the production. For another type of joint venture see pooling, which is not the same as unitization.
