Contractors are taking the next step toward capping the well closest to the site of last summer’s explosion in Wheatley.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent said on Tuesday that work crews have resumed the installation of a conductor pipe around the circumference of the well. Once the new pipe is in place, the process of plugging the well will begin. This process is expected to take around three weeks.
Installation of the pipe was stalled on July 6 after a gas release was detected. The two-hour gas release was measured at 24 parts per billion in the atmosphere, which is less than one-hundredth of the amount considered a safety hazard.
There has been no gas emission since that time.
To ensure redundant pressure relief, another conductor pipe was installed in the municipal parking lot, which will vent any future gas releases from workers at the site.
