A boil water advisory has been issued for the Wheatley and Tilbury areas after a fire broke out at a local water treatment plant.
The Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission said the fire started at the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant at around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to PUC officials, the fire was contained in the generator room at the plant and was quickly extinguished.
However, an initial assessment conducted by the PUC and the Chatham-Kent Fire and Rescue Service has determined that the plant has undergone significant damage and is no longer operational at this time.
As a result, the PUC has implemented an emergency plan and opened interconnecting water systems that are currently feeding water into Wheatley from different regions. This will cause low water pressure for residents in Tilbury and Wheatley for the time being.
Because of the low pressure, Chatham-Kent Public Health has issued a boil water advisory to all residents on Chatham-Kent Municipal Water Distribution Systems for Wheatley and Tilbury.
Chatham-Kent’s Acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, is advising residents to bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute prior to using it for domestic purposes such as drinking, making infant formula and juice, brushing teeth, washing raw foods and making ice.
The PUC is also asking that residents of Wheatley, Tilbury and customers served by the South Water Treatment Plant, including Blenheim, Merlin, Coatsworth, Shrewsbury, Rondeau and Erieau, conserve water until further notice.
A damage estimate and the cause of the fire at the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant have not been released at this time.
