The County of Prince Edward and its contractor have temporarily ceased boring operations under Lane Creek in Wellington.
- The Spills Action Centre contacted the municipality about a possible spill into Lane Creek on Wednesday, April 16 as a result of boring operations. The work along the Millennium Trail is part of the Wellington trunk watermain project.
- Drilling was halted immediately while an investigation into the incident took place.
- The municipality’s consultant determined the drill was hitting pieces of old buried steel and causing the pressure and vibrations to increase.
- This pressure increase disturbed the silt in the creek bed and possibly caused a “frac-out,” which is when drilling fluid is released through fractured or weakened areas. This event was not caused by dewatering and was not a spill of any lubricants or chemicals.
- The tunneling operations were stopped and the contractor is working on containing the disturbed silt.
- The contractor and the municipality’s project team are working with the Ministry of the Environment’s Spills Action Team to determine the next steps.
- The municipality will provide updates and information on next steps when they become available.
- Drilling under Lane Creek is required for the installation of the new water and sanitary trunk mains. The municipality and its contractor received all necessary approvals from Quinte Conservation before beginning the boring operations.
- If you have an issue or concern, please contact Chris Timpson, Project Manager, County of Prince Edward, at 613.476.2148 extension 2035 or email ctimpson@pecounty.on.ca.