Wheatley work. (Submitted photo)Wheatley work. (Submitted photo)
Chatham

Last Wheatley well to be capped in three weeks

Work to install another conductor pipe in another well in downtown Wheatley and cap it has begun.

This conductor pipe will be installed in a well in the municipal parking lot and capping it should take about three weeks to complete.

The municipality said the new pipe will enable the plugging of the parking lot well, which should be done by the end of the month.

This work follows the successful installation of a conductor pipe for a pressure relief well to vent any potential gas release away from the work taking place, if necessary, before any more work to resolve the gas leaks goes ahead.

"Work crews are beginning the same process for the APEC 1 well in the municipal parking lot. The conductor pipe will be hammered into the ground and the current APEC 1 well casing will be removed. A pressure test of the current well casing was completed which will guide the engineers through placing the new pipe around its circumference," wrote the municipality in an update issued Tuesday afternoon.

The other two wells have already been capped.

The area was the site of an explosion in August of 2021. The gas leaks have also caused problems in the area for over a year.

Municipal officials again remind residents that an odour of gas may be detected when the next stage of work begins and they are being asked to call 911 if they detect the smell of gas.

Read More Local Stories