With a boil water advisory into its third week, water bottles are now available to residents in Tilbury and Wheatley at additional locations.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent said bottled water will be available to pick up at the Wheatley Arena at 196 Erie St. N and Tilbury Arena at 49 Bond Ave, beginning on Thursday.
Both locations will be open every day between noon and 6 p.m. until the boil water advisory is lifted.
Bottled water will also continue to be made available at the Wheatley Resource Centre and the Tilbury Food Bank.
The municipality has recommended limiting families to one or two cases but acknowledged that some circumstances may require more.
The boil water advisory has been in effect for residents in Tilbury and Wheatley since September 13, after a fire caused extensive damage at the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant.
The water supply for those residents is currently being maintained by connecting to neighbouring water systems and bulk water haulers.
Chatham-Kent Public Health is reminding residents under the advisory that their water is safe to consume after bringing it to a rolling boil for one minute.
Meantime, following a successful motion at Monday night’s council meeting, municipal administration will be looking into creating a Bottled Water Policy to be used in future boil water advisories, floods, tornadoes, or other emergencies.
The proposed policy, put forward by West Kent Councillor Lauren Anderson, will take a number of factors into consideration, including vulnerable populations, the cost associated with supplying water, and how many days a boil water advisory has been in effect before bottled water should be supplied to local residents.
