Chatham-Kent officials are commending residents and the business community for their conservation efforts after water reserves dropped to concerning levels over the weekend.
The Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission (PUC) began repair work on the transmission line feeds into the Chatham Water Treatment Plant on August 24 along Charing Cross Road. During the construction, treatment plant operations were shut down and water reserves were utilized.
Repairs were completed on time and without issue on August 28, however, when the water began to refill the 36-inch transmission line, air became trapped inside.
“We activated our staff to go through the air relief chambers. We did do that; we checked them all, but unfortunately, there are some points in the pipeline where you can’t relieve that air,” said Rob Bernardi, the PUC’s director of engineering and compliance. “There was air trapped inside the pipeline, and it continued to bring some air bubbles to our treatment plant, which affected the chemical treatment process.”
Bernardi said the air in the pipes slowed the treatment plant’s ability to meet the demand for water in the community. With the plant’s water reserves depleted to around 40 per cent, the municipality became concerned that they could be depleted entirely, causing a water shortages and an impact to water quality.
As a result, the municipality issued emergency water restrictions for several affected communities on Saturday, asking residents to limit water usage to essential purposes. The restrictions were extended on Sunday for impacted communities, including Chatham, Grande Pointe, Pain Court, Dover Centre, Mitchell’s Bay, Dresden, Tupperville, Eberts, Prairie Siding, Thamesville and Kent Bridge.
“We were getting down to a point that we were worried that we would run out of water, but as it turned out, the plant came back and we were able to start producing enough water to building our reserves [back up] again,” said Bernardi.
The emergency restrictions were lifted Monday morning, however, regular lawn watering restrictions remain in effect.
CK CAO Michael Duben said the collective response from residents and businesses in the community had a significant impact and helped to ensure a positive outcome.
“The public made a difference, and you could see that, because the consumption, after we put the restrictions in effect, dropped drastically,” said Duben. “The community came together and made a huge difference.”
As part of the 2024 Water and Wastewater Master Plan, Chatham-Kent has contracted consulting engineering services for expanding storage at the Chatham Water Treatment Plant. The proposed expansion would be a 20-million-litre in-ground reservoir, increasing the existing water reserves of 35-million litres.
