The drilling team and municipal officials believe it’s mission accomplished in Wheatley.
The team has encased and capped the abandoned well discovered at 17 Talbot St. E. in the West Kent community. Since the capping, there has been no trace of escaping gas, officials said.
Since monitoring of the well began in 2021, it was continuously emitting hydrogen sulfide and methane.
In fact, no gas has been detected seeping from any of the other water wells abandoned on the site previously.
“The team is very happy with the results of the project so far and are optimistic that this is the solution to the gas emissions on site,” Ryan Brown, director of Public Works, said in a media release. “The community has been very patient and understanding while we worked through this project, and we are excited to share these results and help Wheatley move forward into a prosperous future.”
Ongoing testing of the monitoring well will provide further understanding and confirm if the abandonment efforts have been successful in stopping the gas migration in downtown Wheatley, officials said.
Final expert reports are expected later this year that will be made public.
The last of the excavation work is done and no additional deep wells have been found.
Crews have begun removing equipment from the site, which will continue into this week.
With equipment moving off site, restoration work will begin.
