New Completion Deadline set for Wheatley Well Remediation

A tentative date for the completion of well remediation in Wheatley has been pushed back until the end of June.

During a virtual public meeting held on April 9 officials announced a reduction in the evacuation zone and provided a tentative goal of mid-to-late May for remediation of all Areas of Potential Environmental Concern (APEC) within the reduced zone (see map).

Although capping has commenced on the Tait well (APEC 2) near the centre of the municipal parking lot, detailed work plans for similar work on APEC 1 (the well nearest the explosion site) and APEC 3 (the well at the far end of the municipal parking lot near the intersection of Erie and Elm streets) have yet to be completed.

Officials have said safety remains the utmost concern, noting that there were two significant releases of lower explosive limit (LEL) gas on April 22 and 23. In both cases, the systems, procedures and venting stack worked according to design.

This week the municipality sent notices to owners of some properties within the evacuation zone regarding possible structural damage and what steps would be needed for future occupancy.

The municipality will host a virtual meeting Saturday, May 14 at 10 am to answer residents' questions.

The meeting will be hosted on the Municipality's Facebook page and YouTube channels.