Wheatley residents will have to put up with gas well flaring this week at the site of the August 2021 explosion in the downtown core.
The municipality said that the controlled tests will be conducted on Wednesday and Thursday and are necessary to permanently secure the abandoned well that was found a few weeks ago.
Erie Street North will be closed while the tests are being conducted, according to municipal officials.
"There is no danger associated with these tests and the road closures are precautionary," wrote the municipality in a news release on Wednesday.
The blast three years ago was caused by hydrogen sulfide gas, but municipal officials previously noted that no hydrogen sulfide gas has been detected, just small amounts (300 parts per million) of methane can be detected.
Drilling operations also continue, but due to some logistical problems with acquiring services and materials, the projected date for the drilling equipment to move out has been extended to October 23.
"After this date you may see other Chatham-Kent equipment working on the site to complete fencing, top soiling and seeding," the municipality said.
The municipality also said the well's surface casing has been successfully installed and cemented into place and that will "greatly contribute" to the overall safety of further operations.
"The blow out preventer will now be installed prior to drilling deeper into the well. It is our belief that we are still tracking the original wellbore that was probably drilled between 1890 and 1910 and subsequently abandoned in the 1930s," municipal officials said. "While we are drilling deeper we will be conducting many tests, including; gas, geologic and pressure analysis."
Officials also noted they continue to watch for any changes in the monitoring well, adding that the monitoring well has stopped venting any gas, including hydrogen sulfide gas.
"Ongoing testing of the monitoring well and other wells that were previously abandoned on the site will further our understanding and help to confirm if we have been successful in stopping the gas migration," noted the municipality.