Wheatley Updates

Wheatley Update December 16

Erie Street North between Talbot Road and Elm Street will re-open to vehicular traffic Monday, December 19.

Fencing has been erected along both sides of the street which has been closed since an explosion in August of last year. It was the last remaining road closure due to the incident.

he street will remain closed to large truck traffic. There will be a pedestrian walk way on the east side of the street.

Buildings along the west side of the block have Prohibited Access by CBO Order.

The east side of the street contains the revised evacuation zone. The zone was recently reduced and there are no longer any single-family residences within that area.

Media Release

December 7, 2022

Plans Underway for Erie Street re-opening

Fencing will be erected along both sides of Erie Street North in Wheatley in preparation for the re-opening of the street which has been closed since an explosion in August of last year.

Fences will be placed along much of the block immediately north of Talbot Road. Buildings along the west side of the block have Prohibited Access by CBO Order.

The east side of the street contains the revised evacuation zone. The zone was recently reduced and there are no longer any single-family residences within that area.

Officials are planning to open the street to two lanes of traffic within the next two weeks. Options to allow pedestrian traffic along the street are being discussed. The street will still be closed to large truck traffic.

A scrubber system designed to capture H2S gas emissions at the site of earlier incidents in downtown Wheatley is now operational.

Filters in the unit will trap any H2S gas and reduce it to zero. The system will remain on site for six months after which a determination will be made for long-term action.

The current flare stack onsite will remain as a backup system for the time being as an additional safety measure.

Officials are preparing a report for Chatham-Kent Council for its December 12 meeting. That report will be listed on https://www.chatham-kent.ca/localgovernment/council/meetings/Pages/Council-Meetings.aspx by noon this Thursday, December 8.

Media Release

November 22, 2022

Wheatley Scrubber System to be Installed this Week

A scrubber system designed to capture H2S gas emissions at the site of earlier incidents in downtown Wheatley is scheduled to be delivered today and installed this week.

Ryan Brown, Chatham-Kent Director of Public Works, said once the system is installed, testing will be undertaken and the unit should be fully operational within the next few days.

The unit, which is being brought in from Ohio, will be placed in the municipal parking lot. Filters in the unit will trap any H2S gas and reduce it to zero.

The current flare stack onsite will remain as a backup system for the time being as an additional safety measure.

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Media Release

November 07, 2022

Elm Street and Foster Street to be Reopened Tuesday, November 8

Elm Street between Erie Street North and Little Street and Foster Street between Erie Street North and Victoria in Wheatley will reopen for traffic Tuesday, November 8 by the end of the day.

Ryan Brown, Chatham-Kent Director of Public Works, said the provincial drilling contracting firm has completed its work and demobilized from the site, providing the ability to open the roadway.

Security personnel will remain at the site of the reduced evacuation zone on a 24-hour basis.

The municipality is planning to implement a scrubber system to capture any H2S gas at the site from the monitoring well during the interim monitoring period of the well. This could lead to a further reduction of the evacuation zone and the reopening of Erie Street North between Elm and Talbot Road. The current flare stack onsite will remain as a backup system for the time being as an additional safety measure.

Options to allow pedestrian traffic along the street are being discussed as part of that plan.

Brown said reopening the streets will provide a much improved east-west traffic flow through the community.

Today is the day! The Chatham-Kent Public Library as the Wheatley Branch re-opens for regular service.

The space has been shined up and is ready for your return. We have fresh paint on the outside doors and have professionally cleaned our space from top to bottom! We’ve also invested in a collection refresh. All library services will be available including wifi and computer access; printing and photocopying service and of course all the books, magazines and DVDs that you’re used to enjoying!

Staff can’t wait to welcome you back to the Wheatley Branch! Hours of operation are Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm and Wednesdays and Saturdays 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Tuesday into Thursday early morning, contractors and a team from the University of Windsor were on site as they conducted a production flow test of the monitoring well in the municipal parking lot. The test ran smoothly, gas was flared off, and all equipment worked as planned. The water from the well was discharged into the sanitary sewer.

Information from the sampling will be used to determine next steps for monitoring.

Residents are reminded, when they see the flare, that means the planned process and equipment is working as intended.

In the meantime, residents are reminded that if at any time you detect the smell of gas, to immediately call 9-1-1.

On September 28^th, the provincial contractor completed the cut and cap of the well.

Today, contractors and a team from the University of Windsor will be on site as they conduct a production flow test. Extra air monitoring will occur as they begin pumping the well. The test involves pumping the well for six hours, putting the water and gas through separator and sampling and testing the by-products from the test. Testing will continue into October 5^th.

Information from the sampling will be used to determine next steps for monitoring.

Most of the site restoration work has been undertaken, however there is still some contractor equipment on site and some miscellaneous cleanup work to complete.

In the meantime, residents are reminded that if at any time you detect the smell of gas, to immediately call 9-1-1.

The Municipality’s contractors will be performing a production flow test of the monitoring well in the municipal parking lot for the duration of the day Tuesday, October 4^th.

Safety systems are in place to pump water out of the well for 6 hours and measure the quantity and concentration of any gasses emitted. This data is needed to further review the evacuation zone and for future right-sizing of equipment.

Preparations for this work will commence today, Monday, October 3rd starting at 12:00 pm.

All air monitors will be operational, and the Chatham-Kent Fire Department will be onsite. If residents smell any gas, they should immediately call 9-1-1.

Final work on APEC 1 will continue today as contractors complete cutting the well and capping. Testing will continue with clean-up and restoration of the work area later this week.

In the meantime, residents are reminded that if at any time you detect the smell of gas, to immediately call 9-1-1.