Elgin county is part of a pilot project designed to help keep municipalities safe from the risks associated with old and inactive oil and gas wells.
Last week it was announced the county will receive over $200,000 in funding to enhance emergency preparedness.
Elgin Warden Ed Ketchabaw stresses part of the problem is locating all of these legacy wells.
To date, the province has spent over $29 million to plug 415 wells.
We asked Ketchabaw about what prompted the initiative.
He advises the funding will be used for safety training for emergency responders and municipal staff who may be in close contact with abandoned wells.
In 2021, a gas leak from an old well levelled two buildings and injured 20 people in Wheatley, east of Windsor.
There are roughly 27-thousand abandoned oil and gas wells in Ontario.
Ketchabaw advised an event will be held next month in the county related to the Wheatley incident.
Elgin is part of the province’s Year 1 pilot program and the financial investment will be directed toward training and the acquisition of equipment to deal with the legacy wells.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry administers the Abandoned Works Program, which supports the plugging of old and inactive oil and gas wells that are at heightened risk to public safety or the environment.
