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Drilling on one of two monitoring wells near Wheatley explosion site complete

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Excavation at APEC 2 to expose the casing stub. (Courtesy Municipality of Chatham-Kent)

Contractors have completed drilling on a monitoring well near the explosion site in downtown Wheatley as part of an ongoing investigation.

An update from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent says drilling on the well near APEC 2 was completed Monday and contractors will move to the second well this week.

Work on that well was halted for a short time Sunday after a pocket of gas was discovered, the municipality states. The gas emission lasted about 15 minutes.

Safety protocols in place were initiated and work resumed when it was safe. Officials say the emission is not uncommon in such drilling.

Drilling of a second monitoring well near the Wheatley arena will be completed by the end of this week, officials say.

Residents are asked to stay behind the barricades erected near the site. Anyone with questions can call 311.

Equipment for re-drilling the well at APEC 2 in the municipal parking lot is expected to arrive on site this week.

Officials say information gathered from this work as well as a sampling of regional gas wells for comparison should provide more information for investigators.

Officials say rumours circulating regarding further demolition of buildings in the area are inaccurate.

As part of the investigation, a few “severely damaged” buildings were required to be removed, however, no decisions have been made regarding further demolitions in the evacuation zone.