“The gas well on the soccer field has been plugged and the gas lines removed,” Culp reported.
The gas well, located near the soccer field between Frank Ohl and Fitch, was installed in 1986. Earlier this month, a Niles company called Pluggers, Inc. was subcontracted to plug the well, which is located on the site of one of the two new school buildings.
The well is said to be 5,200 feet deep, close to one mile, which contained piping in 30-feet segments. All that piping had to be be pulled out and recycled while the hole was filled with concrete. Water forced from the well during the operation was collected in a temporary pond, then was removed and the pond filled back in. The pond prevented soil contamination in the area.
Last week, with the well filled in, work began on removing the two-inch pipe that ran from the well to storage tanks. The pipes were buried over four feet down and ran under Falcon Drive to the fence by the Watson parking lot, then proceeding behind the bus garage.
Culp noted that the district never received free gas from the well. It did get a small royalty off it every quarter.
With the gas well removed, the next step was waiting on an EPA inspection on whether or not the land behind Watson was considered wetlands. Culp said that report just recently came back and the area was declared not to be wetlands so the project could continue.
“We can proceed and the bidding will begin on Friday,” Culp said. “We will open the bids on July 11.”
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Photo special to the Town Crier
The gas well located near the soccer field between Frank Ohl and Fitch High School was capped last week as preparations are under way for the construction of two new school buildings.