Work remains on hold at a construction site west of downtown Guelph.

Earlier this month, work stopped at the water main construction site north of Wellington Street, near the Hanlon Parkway, due to the discovery of eight barrels under the former landfill site.

Tests showed that the barrels contained substances such as benzene, toluene, xylene and styrene – all of which, it says, are commonly used in fuels, solvents and manufacturing processes.

Some of the substances had been leaking from the barrels at the time of their discovery.

The barrels were removed from the site along with 34,700 litres of liquid including both leaking materials and rainwater.

City officials say more testing is needed before work can resume on construction of the Paisley-Clythe water main.

“We’ll conduct more detailed scans to gather more specific information so we can take further precautions if necessary,” city engineer Kealy Dedman said in a news release.

The city continues to work with the Ministry of the Environment to address concerns around the site.