As a safeguard measure, Chatham-Kent’s public utilities commission is moving ahead with municipal water well decommissioning in the Ridgetown area.
During last month’s meeting, commissioners approved awarding a contract to facilitate the abandonment of the Scane field wells.
However, another staff report, which didn’t require approval and was received for information, came forward Thursday with further details about the bid.
Chatham-Kent’s purchasing officer was consulted to obtain advice on how to proceed after non-receipt of bids at the bid submission date, the report stated.
Tim Sunderland, PUC general manager, said engineering consulting firm Aecom sought out a reputable company.
Well drilling contractor, Aardvark Drilling Inc., will perform the work for $302,404. The company, which has performed work for Chatham-Kent in the past, also provides services to such centers as London, Waterloo, Ottawa, York Region and Peel Region.
Sunderland said the work involves four wells that are no longer needed.
“They’re municipal water wells,” he said. “As we do not need them anymore, once they’re unserviceable, we want to decommission them properly to safeguard the aquifer.
“We have other wells over the next few years that will become unserviceable that will have to go through the decommissioning process as well. But we’re working our way through our well system out there.”
He said newest ones were drilled about five years ago, with the PUC bringing them into production.
Chatham County. Marjorie Crew asked if there were similar wells located elsewhere in the municipality that need to be decommissioned.
Sunderland told the commission the only municipal well system is in Ridgetown.
Thursday was the last PUC meeting of the current council term, with the next meeting slated for Nov. 17. It is expected that meeting will return to an in-person format, with the location still to be determined.
For the past two years due to the pandemic, the commission has met virtually via Zoom.