Wheatley Updates

Municipal officials are reviewing a work plan which will establish the next steps on the remediation of an ongoing gas emission situation in downtown Wheatley.

Chatham-Kent CAO Don Shropshire said a plan has been submitted by the firm engaged by the province to lead the project.

“We have a preliminary work plan now under review,” he said. “Once that has taken place, our plan is to hold a virtual public meeting with Wheatley residents and provide information as to next steps.”

Work at APEC (Area of Potential Environmental Concern) 2 to bring the well to the surface is substantially complete. The contractor is awaiting several parts to connect this well to the test separator system. That is expected to be complete early next week

The contractors completed an investigatory excavation at APEC 3 and discovered a brick well structure with a small wooden casing extending from the bottom approximately 12 feet below the surface. Small amounts of methane have been detected emitting from the well structure. Work is currently ongoing to further investigate whether the structure is a water well or a gas well. A laboratory sample will be obtained for analysis.

This week some members of the on-site team were placed under COVID-19 protocol. This will cause minor delays to homeowner access this weekend while staffing resources are re-arranged.

Shropshire said evacuated residents with questions should contact their caseworkers at Chatham Kent Health and Family Services and businesses should contact Economic Development Services. Individuals with general questions are asked to call 3-1-1.

Shropshire urged the community to watch the video of a Wheatley update presentation to Council at its January 17 meeting.

A video of the presentation can be found at https://www.letstalkchatham-kent.ca/wheatley-updates/widgets/112620/videos/8697.

By clicking on the Non-Agenda Business section, the video will begin at the appropriate time.

Shropshire thanked the more than 750 individuals who have registered for an email subscription list to keep them updated. “We’re grateful that so many people want to know the facts and keep up with the latest news. Whether you’re a resident or not of Wheatley you are welcome to subscribe to these updates.”

To join the list, follow this link.

https://www.chatham-kent.ca/services/digitalresources/Pages/Subscription-Services.aspx

No gas release has taken place since November 21 and given the interval between previous gas leak events, officials are expecting a release soon although topographical changes and cold weather may be having an effect on the site.

Photos one and two are of the well (APEC 3). The third photo is an overhead of the scene with APEC 3 included.

As work continues to connect the second of two wells in Wheatley to monitoring equipment, another 10 individuals were allowed temporary access to their properties during the weekend.

The second well (Apec 2) was brought to the surface last week and workers on site are connecting it to the test separator and installing monitoring equipment as was done with the first well (Apec 1).

The test separator and venting system connected to APEC 1 remains in place which functions to improve the overall safety of the site.

Residents and property owners seeking temporary access to check on their properties are required to register with the municipality for scheduling purposes and to allow emergency personnel to determine if the property is safe to enter.

To date, 69 appointments have been completed and 21 appointments are ready to be booked for properties evacuated but not in the immediate vicinity of the August 26 blast. Officials are still prohibiting access to those sites due to safety concerns.

Access will resume this week when any gaps in the work occur.

Based on the pattern of the last six months, officials in Wheatley are anticipating a gas release within the coming week.

Today is day 45 since the last release and the five previous releases dating back to June 2 of last year all took place between 38 and 47 days of each other.

During the past few weeks, officials have demolished buildings near the 15 Erie Street North site of the August explosion. Excavation work has taken place and two wells have been confirmed.

As a result of the work conducted, the landscape of the area has been changed significantly which officials say may impact the typical cycle time of the gas release.

Preparations have been made to safely vent and capture a sample of gas for further analysis.

The next step of the resolution process will be to bring one well to the surface, drill it and conduct tests with pressurized water to determine if an underground connection exists between the two wells.

Depending on the gas release date, residents may see heavy equipment on site within a week.

Fire and Emergency Services and security personnel will continue to be present at the site.

Resident visits to evacuated dwellings will resume when it is appropriate to do so.

Officials on scene in Wheatley have completed preparations to safely vent gas in anticipation of another gas release. Based on history, a release is expected within the next few days.

The pattern of a gas build-up and release has taken place between 38 and 47 days since gas was first discovered in the downtown area June 2.

A flame may be visible to nearby residents during the release.

A second well was recently confirmed during excavation efforts and experts on site have been able to connect the well to a test separator.

The test separator will divert any water from the well to a holding tank for safe disposal and send any gasses to a temporary venting stack with the capability to flare. The test separator will also allow for sampling and data recording during a gas release which will provide valuable data to the team.

Petroleum Inspectors from the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (NDMNRF) have been on site to collect information.

Fire and Emergency Service and security personnel will continue to be present at the site.

Resident visits and building winterization will resume when it is appropriate to do so.

Excavation work near the scene of an August 26 explosion in Wheatley has resulted in the discovery of a second well in close proximity to the site of the explosion.

Petroleum Inspectors from the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (NDMNRF) were on site earlier this week to collect information to understand more about this well.

Examining information gathered this week and learning more about this new well including controlling any gas flow, are the priority next steps for the investigation team. Experts are also anticipating another gas event. Chatham-Kent General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services Thomas Kelly said the past pattern of gas to build up and release has taken place between 38 and 47 days.

“We anticipate the next release could be within a few days of December 31,” he said. “We are venting and monitoring the gas to reduce any chance of further issues.”

Air monitoring will continue while officials examine information gathered this week regarding the findings of the new well. Fire and Emergency Service and security personnel will continue to be present at the site. Using a controlled monitoring approach will allow officials to gather more information if the expected release takes place.

“We learn more each time a release takes place,” Kelly said.

Resident visits and building winterization will resume when it is appropriate to do so.

Officials are hopeful that the discovery of this well will aid in the development of options to support the mitigation phase.

As work continues in downtown Wheatley, residents who remain out of their homes following the August explosion are receiving gift baskets from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and Entegrus.

More than 100 baskets are being delivered to the Village Resource Centre for distribution and pick up.

The baskets were prepared by Heidi’s Eats and Sweets and contained fruit, candy, chocolate and gift certificates from local businesses. Residents are being contacted by resource centre volunteers.

Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff said, “nothing can replace being in your home during the holidays, but the gift is a heartfelt gesture while we continue to work toward resolving the issue.”

During a short pause in work Sunday, eight displaced residents were allowed back into their homes for a short period to retrieve personal effects.

Demolition of buildings at the site of the explosion has been completed. Excavation and pathway analysis are now taking place. While work is taking place, officials have deemed it unsafe for all non-essential personnel to be within the evacuated area.

Chatham-Kent General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services Thomas Kelly said last week such analysis is a key factor in determining how the gas is reaching the surface.

The Municipality has been advised that some local residents detect a gas-like smell in the area.

The technical team has reviewed all on-site gas monitoring equipment, and there are no appreciable readings at this time. It is possible that the currently ongoing construction activity and soil disturbance are most likely the sources of the smell.

Municipal officials confirmed today that demolition of buildings adjacent to the site of the explosion in downtown Wheatley is expected to be completed by the end of this week.

Chatham-Kent General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services Thomas Kelly said the process is proceeding on schedule.

As soon as demolition is completed, excavation will begin.

"The excavation will go hand in hand with the pathway analysis," Kelly said. "The analysis is a key factor in determining how the gas is reaching the surface and gives us important information we can use for remediation."

Kelly said work crews will proceed as quickly as possible but said safety remains paramount. "The excavation phase of the plan carries with it an elevated risk," he said. "We're very mindful of that."

The practice of allowing residents into the evacuation zone to return to their homes for a brief period to retrieve some of their personal property has been on hold while the current work plan takes place.

"We will resume allowing residents to return as soon it is safe to do so, but the current work Is critical to long-term resolution of the problem. If there are any gaps in the work plan, temporary access will be restarted," he said.

Building excavation is taking place at 19 and 15 Erie St. N and 9 Talbot Trail West. Excavations will follow at APEC 1 and 2 to identify any sub-surface infrastructure that could be acting as a lateral pathway and to confirm if another source of gas is present.

All work performed on-site follows a comprehensive health and safety plan that was developed by expert engineering consultants. The safety of public, staff and contractors remains the number one priority for site.

Image of work currently being done in Wheatley

Over this past weekend, 16 homeowners were able to obtain temporary access to properties in the evacuation zone. Efforts continue to provide access for the remaining property owners and tenants.

Hydro poles and lines have now been removed near the site of the explosion to clear the way for the demolition work to begin. The demolition contractor is currently on-site and is mobilizing equipment for the next stage of the process.

To ensure the safety of everyone involved, temporary home access has been suspended while this work is in-process. If there are any downtimes that occur, temporary home access appointments will restart immediately.

As previously reported, the goal for the next phase of the investigation is to confirm the presence of a lateral pathway between APEC 1 and 2 and to verify there are no any other sources of gas in the area.

Building excavation is taking place at 19 and 15 Erie St. N and 9 Talbot Trail West. Excavations will follow at APEC 1 and 2 to identify any sub-surface infrastructure that could be acting as a lateral pathway and to confirm if another source of gas is present.

All work performed on-site follows a comprehensive health and safety plan that was developed by expert engineering consultants. The safety of public, staff and contractors remains the number one priority for site.