Drilling work in Wheatley that was delayed is now on track, say municipal officials, as the investigation into the gas leak situation continues.
The issue was discussed briefly during the non-agenda business portion of Monday’s council meeting.
“(The contractor) had to procure a few additional materials to complete their setup, but everything is now onsite,” said Ryan Brown, director of public works. “There has been some minor delays since that announcement last week.”
The re-drilling of the Tait well located at the second area of potential environmental concern (APEC 2) in the municipal parking lot is expected to take approximately two weeks.
The well is being re-drilled to collect gas samples, analyze the existing structure and ultimately prepare for re-abandonment.
Operational plans for further investigating APEC 1 and 3 are underway, which will begin after the work at APEC 2.
“Once we learn more information, we will share that and provide those updates to the community,” Brown said. “Including in a forum for asking questions, like we’ve done in the past.”
Fire and emergency services Chief Chris Case said his department continues to review safety procedures in the meantime.
“Every time work takes place at the site, we are looking at the evacuation zone, how it’s impacted,” he said. “That continual work is taking place and we’ll do so at least for the next week or two while this engineering operation continues.
“There is a lot of activity onsite and there is a lot going on.”
Gas was first identified at the Erie Street North site in June of last year, which prompted the immediate evacuation of homes and businesses in the area.
The following month, three-dozen homes and businesses were evacuated after hydrogen sulphide was again detected at the downtown site.
On Aug. 26, toxic gas detectors raised the alarm that afternoon, giving municipal staff and emergency crews enough time to evacuate the area before a blast destroyed two buildings about 90 minutes later. Twenty people suffered minor injuries from the explosion.
Since the August blast, gas has been detected about a half-dozen times in the cordoned-off area.