A new deadline has been set for well remediation at the site of an August gas explosion in Wheatley.
The tentative date for the completion of well remediation has now been pushed back until the end of June.
During a public meeting on April 9, officials announced a reduction in the evacuation zone and offered a tentative goal of mid-to-late May for remediation of Areas of Potential Environmental Concern (APEC) within the reduced zone.
The municipality said in a news release on Tuesday, that while capping has started on the Tait well (APEC 2) near the centre of the municipal parking lot, similar work on APEC 1 and APEC 3 has yet to be finished.
Officials said safety remains the utmost concern, noting that there were two "significant" releases of lower explosive limit gas on April 22 and 23.
"In both cases, the systems, procedures and venting stack worked according to design," read the statement.
Notices have been sent to some properties within the evacuation area letting them know of possible structural damage and what steps would be needed for future occupancy.
The municipality will be hosting a virtual meeting Saturday at 10 a.m. to answer residents’ questions. The meeting will be hosted on Chatham-Kent’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
