Chatham-Kent’s mayor is hopeful the recent gas leaks plaguing downtown Wheatley will soon be remedied.
Mayor Darrin Canniff said the municipality is closely monitoring the situation in Wheatley after gas was detected three times within two weeks in the area of 35 Talbot Street West, near the Wheatley branch of the Chatham-Kent Public Library.
The first gas leak on June 26 prompted the evacuation of around 60 homes near the town’s downtown core after emergency crews responded to an odor of gas and discovered an area that bubbling with water and gases. The next two gas incidents occurred on July 1 and July 4.
“Where the gas is coming up is an old water well, so the plan moving forward is to cap it,” Canniff said. “I anticipate that shortly the water well will be taken care of and capped.”
With gas monitoring in place in Wheatley, Canniff said Chatham-Kent is well prepared should more emissions be detected.
“There’s been multimillion dollars spent understanding the whole well structure [in Wheatley], he said.
While a timeline for when the water well will be capped has not been established, Canniff said the municipality wants it completed “as soon as possible.”
Potential gas leaks have been a consistent concern in Wheatley since an explosion rocked the town’s downtown core in August of 2021.
For regular Wheatley updates, residents are encouraged to visit the Let’s Talk Chatham-Kent Wheatley Updates page by clicking here.
