Wheatley Investigation Update
On July 15th, Council passed staff recommendations to procure the services of ELM 360 Environmental Consulting Ltd. to implement the next stages of the Downtown Wheatley Investigation. The report and video can be reviewed on the Municipality’s website:
On site work is anticipated to begin on September 3rd with preparatory work already underway. As discussed in the council report, the excavation of the current evacuation zone is to confirm or deny the existence of any more water or gas wells on the site and to remove the remaining foundations of the buildings. Chatham-Kent along with the contractors have developed an extensive Emergency Response Plan to cover any scenarios that could be encountered during the work. This plan includes having all staff and equipment on standby prepared to work 24 hours a day to remediate a gas well if found.
Chatham-Kent representatives will be starting this week a door-to-door campaign informing residents in proximity to the work site as to what they can expect in the coming months and to educate about the emergency response plan. A community open house will also be held August 8th from 6pm-8pm at the Wheatley Village Resource Centre where municipal representatives and consultants will be on hand to explain technical details and answer any questions. Materials will be posted on the Let’s Talk Chatham-Kent Wheatley Emergency Webpage for those who cannot attend.
As part of the work plan, 360 Engineering and Environmental Consulting will be flying a drone capable of detecting methane emissions over the village and surrounding rural areas. This work will be done pre and post excavation in the work zone to confirm if any activities caused a change in known methane emissions. The drone will start flying on August 7th and is anticipated to take several days to complete.
Also at the July 15th meeting council approved the purchase of 17 Elm Street in Wheatley. The vacant lot will be used as a temporary staging and meeting area for staff and contractors during the excavation work. Residents can expect to see the site being prepared for office trailers over the coming weeks. After the project is complete, future uses for the property will be further reviewed and considered.
For updates and more up-to-date information on the Wheatley project, visit the Chatham-Kent Let’s Talk page at https://www.letstalkchatham-kent.ca/wheatley-updates
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Media Contact:
Eric Labadie
Manager, Corporate Communications
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
519-360-1998 x 2039
ericl@chatham-kent.ca
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