Wheatley emergency site reduction complete, new boundaries outlined

Wheatley map, May 31, 2022. (Source:Municipality of Chatham-Kent)

Officials with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent say more streets have reopened and the emergency site reduction is complete in Wheatley.

Following the activation of street and traffic lights on Tuesday, Talbot Road and Erie South were reopened, however, it does remain blocked turning onto Erie Street North.

Fences were moved Monday, over nine months since the explosion.

With the latest reduction to the evacuation zone most of the properties left in the zone are commercial, along with a few rental units above the commercial properties. Two homes are also in close proximity to the mitigation work. 

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,” said a news release from the municipality.

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.