More evacuees from the blast zone in downtown Wheatley have been allowed temporary access to their properties.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent said in an update on Monday afternoon that 10 more individuals were allowed to return this weekend and more will be allowed to return this week whenever a work stoppage makes it possible.
Residents and property owners seeking temporary access to check on their properties must register with the municipality to allow officials to schedule visits and allow emergency personnel to determine if the property is safe to enter.
The municipality said 69 appointments have been completed to date and 21 appointments are ready to be booked for properties evacuated but not in the immediate vicinity of the August 26, 2021 blast. Access to the blast zone is still being prohibited due to safety concerns. Officials said access to the properties will resume this week when gaps in the work take place.
There's still no timeline for when residents will be able to return to their properties permanently. Chatham-Kent Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire said that question can't be answered until the source of the gas leaks is determined and the risk of another gas leak can be eliminated. Shropshire said the municipality will be looking to get advice from the technical experts to evaluate the risks and will share it when the information is available.
Officials also said more well-monitoring equipment is also being installed to connect the second well. The second well was brought to the surface last week and workers are connecting it to the test separator and installing monitoring equipment as was done with the first well. The test separator and venting system connected to the first well will remain in place to improve the overall safety of the site around 15 Erie Street North.
A second well was discovered just before Christmas. The test separator will divert any water from the well to a holding tank for safe disposal and send any gases to a temporary venting stack with the capability to flare, according to the municipality. The test separator will also allow for sampling and data recording during a gas release which will provide valuable data to the investigative team trying to find where the leaks are coming from and what caused the explosion.
General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, Thomas Kelly, told councillors at Monday night's meeting that a gas well has been confirmed on the municipal parking lot and it's about 1,000 feet deep. He also said the other nearby well at 15 Erie Street North is about 100 feet deep but it's not known if it's gas or water and a camera will be installed to determine that.
The municipality said the provincial-led consulting company will be providing a detailed "go-forward work plan" in approximately two weeks and a public meeting will be scheduled afterwards. The last public meeting was on November 3, 2021.
Gas was last detected at the site on November 21, 2021. It was the fifth gas leak in six months.
The explosion damaged several buildings and injured 20 people. The damaged buildings have been demolished.
Some residents are frustrated and want the problem resolved quicker.
Shropshire is promising a minimum of two updates per week to better communicate with the Wheatley community.
