Wheatley Updates

Work crews have completed driving a conductor pipe into the bedrock at the APEC 3 site at the northern end of the municipal parking lot.

The 13” pipe surrounds the actual well and material brought to the surface will be used to help determine the nature of the well.

Drilling work is finished, and cementing is scheduled for Thursday.

Work has already been completed on APEC 2 (also known as the Tait Well). Once APEC 3 is completed, remediation will begin on the APEC 1 well. (nearest the explosion site).

Following the activation of street and traffic lights today, Talbot Road and Erie South have been re-opened. Fences were moved Monday.

The new emergency site map showing boundaries Is attached.

Operations on APEC 3 are underway, and work will continue through the week. A conductor pipe will be driven over the original well and residents may notice hammering sounds that are different from the work that was done on the APEC 2 well.

Property owners have had Orders placed on their buildings from the Chief Building Official. The Chief Building Official will be rescinding the orders on each property once Municipal Water (PUC), Electrical Authority (ESA), and Natural Gas (Enbridge) have been reinstated by the utility and an inspection by Building Development Services has taken place.

Upon reconnection of the utilities, property owners are to call 3-1-1 and ask to be directed to Building Development Services to schedule an inspection. It is expected that Building Development Services will complete this inspection within 24 hours of receiving the request.

Work has progressed on site that will allow a further reduction to the Wheatley Emergency area. Fences will be moved Monday, May 30 for the properties along Talbot Road that are outside the area identified in purple, yellow and red hatched on the attached map.

Talbot Road and Erie Street South will remain closed and be re-opened as soon as they are deemed safe to allow through traffic. Local traffic will be permitted for property owners and tenants to start the recovery of their buildings.

Pleased be advised that property owners will have Orders placed on their buildings from the Chief Building Official. The Chief Building Official will be rescinding the orders on each property once Municipal Water (PUC), Electrical Authority (ESA) and Natural Gas (Enbridge) have been reinstated by the utility and an inspection by Building Development Services has taken place.

Upon reconnection of the utilities, property owners are to call 3-1-1 and ask to be directed to Building Development Services to schedule an inspection. It is expected that Building Development Services will complete this inspection within 24 hours of receiving the request.

For more details on the reasons for the Order, please refer to page 4 of the Resources and Information for Residents and Business – Building Owners document found, which can be found at:

https://www.letstalkchatham-kent.ca/wheatley-updates

Operations on APEC 3 well are underway, and work will continue through the weekend. A conductor pipe will be driven over the original well and residents may notice hammering sounds that are different from the work that was done on the APEC 2 well.

Contractors are preparing to begin the next investigative step on the APEC 3 well at the far end of the municipal parking lot near the intersection of Erie and Elm Streets.

The investigation will determine whether the well was drilled for water or gas exploration and the findings will determine remediation steps.

Work is also underway to re-open Talbot Street East and West and Erie Street South. Those streets could be open early next week.

Advance voting for the June 2 provincial election which has been taking place at the Wheatley United Church, 59 Talbot Road concludes today at 8:00 pm. That same location will be the polling station on election day, June 2.

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has secured a further $3.9 million from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade to support the community of Wheatley after the explosion in August of last year, bringing the total amount secured to $5.9 million.

Downtown Wheatley business owners and co-chairs of the BIA Mike and Erika Renwick said, "we are pleased to see this additional Provincial funding distributed. We appreciate the ongoing efforts of the Municipality’s Economic Development department in their communications surrounding the funding from the province. Our hope is that these additional funds will help to alleviate some of the continued financial hardships these businesses have endured and we look forward to the continued support of the province in regard to this."

To date, $1.97 million has been distributed amongst 30 businesses, four not-for-profit organizations and 19 commercial properties over the last several months, helping provide much-needed financial assistance while they are unable to operate.

“We’d like to thank the businesses of Wheatley for their patience, understanding, and tenacity during this difficult process. We’d also like to thank Premier Ford and his team for their diligent efforts to get these funds released into our community,” said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff. “This process has shown what can be accomplished when a fluid collaborative relationship is established between municipal and provincial government.”

The additional $3.9M is being distributed in three phases designed to assist the affected businesses with revenue losses up to August 2022, with the first disbursement taking place immediately to approved applicants.

“Our municipality has been focusing on doing everything we can to help the affected businesses of Wheatley. We’re thankful that the province of Ontario has been at the table working with us from day one and hopefully this additional $3.9 million will help the businesses during the time it takes to open their doors again,” said Stuart McFadden, Director of Economic Development Services.

Chatham-Kent Economic Development has been coordinating the process of fund disbursement to the displaced businesses and will continue to play a role in providing affected businesses with up-to-date information, guidance, and support.

The clean-up and restoration of utilities to properties formerly in the evacuation zone in Wheatley continues this week.

As of this morning, 14 customers have had their electricity restored and ten have had their water turned on. Three dumpsters have been placed outside the evacuation zone for the convenience of residents. At this time, residents are not being billed for water usage.

Portable washroom facilities have been made available for residents who are working on their properties but haven't had water restored.

Earlier this month, the evacuation zone was reduced. A map of the new zone can be found on Let's Talk Chatham-Kent/Wheatley-Updates.

Chatham-Kent Public Works Director Ryan Brown said officials are examining data from two incidents last week involving the release of a low level of combustible gas.

There was a release of gas Friday morning and a second release Friday night that lasted until Saturday morning. In both cases, the systems, procedures and venting stack worked according to design.

The last release at APEC 1 happened in November of 2021.

Brown said the incidents demonstrated the effectiveness of safety procedures in place and served as a reminder that the situation is not yet fully resolved.

Chatham-Kent Fire Chief Chris Case said Fire and Emergency Services provided additional resources and air monitoring around the perimeter of the evacuation zone to ensure safety.

"There are valid reasons why we have been on site non-stop since gas was detected last June," he said. "Although there was no threat to public safety on the weekend, we cannot let our guard down. We will remain in place until such time as the situation is resolved."