Chatham-Kent officials are optimistic a gas emission at the site of an explosion that rocked downtown Wheatley more than three years ago has been resolved.
Chatham-Kent officials are optimistic a gas emission at the site of an explosion that rocked downtown Wheatley more than three years ago has been resolved.
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Residents soon will see the drilling rig in Wheatley’s downtown moved off site as investigation work wraps up, a municipal release said Thursday.
The project team found what was believed to be wooden-cased petroleum well underneath the cement floor at the site of 17 Talbot St. E., municipal officials said in late September. No hydrogen sulphide gas was detected, just small amounts of methane.
“Following the discovery, drilling, casing and cementing of the abandoned well found at 17 Talbot St. E., the monitoring well has entirely stopped venting gas,” municipal officials said.
After the monitoring well was set up in 2021, it continuously emitted hydrogen sulphide and methane until the newly discovered well was re-entered, the release said.
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Since then, no gas signatures have been detected on the monitoring well or previousLy abandoned water wells on the site, suggesting the issue may have been resolved, municipal officials said.
“The team is very happy with the results of the project so far and are optimistic that this is the solution to the gas emissions on site,” public works director Ryan Brown.
“The community has been very patient and understanding while we worked through this project, and we are excited to share these results and help Wheatley move forward into a prosperous future.”
Ongoing testing of the monitoring well will provide further understanding and confirm whether abandonment efforts have stopped the gas migrating in downtown Wheatley, municipal officials said. Final expert reports, expected later this year, will be made public.
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Excavation work is now complete, and no additional deep wells have been found, the release said.
Crews are preparing to remove all equipment from the area, municipal officials said. Intermittent road closings will be required to load trucks from Friday into early next week.
Year Aug. 26, 2021, blast was linked to toxic hydrogen sulphide gas seeing through the ground in downtown Wheatley. It destroyed two buildings, damaged others and injured 20 people.
With equipment moving off site, restoration work will now begin, municipal officials said. The Wheatley Recovery Task Force is continuing it work, guided by the incoming expert reports.
For more details, visit letstalkchatham-kent.ca/wheatley-updates.
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