A fire at the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant has caused significant damage.
The fire broke out at the plant on Wednesday afternoon, and the Public Utilities Commission in partnership with the Chatham-Kent Fire Marshal have completed an initial assessment of the scene.
It has been found that the site has undergone significant damage and as a result the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant is not operational at this time.
The Public Utilities Commission has implemented an emergency plan and have opened water interconnect systems and are currently feeding water into Wheatley from different regions.
As a result, residents in Wheatley and Tilbury will experience low water pressure for the time being.
The PUC is also asking that residents of Wheatley, Tilbury and customers served by the South Water Treatment Plant, which includes the communities of Blenheim, Merlin, Coatsworth, Shrewsbury, Rondeau and Erieau, to conserve water until further notice.
Because of the low pressure, a boil water advisory has been issued to all consumers of the Chatham-Kent Municipal Water Distribution Systems for Wheatley and Tilbury, including:
-Mint Waterline Association
-D&O Waterline Association
-3rd Concession Waterline Association
-3rd & 4th Concession Waterline Association
-KOA Waterline Association
-Cedar Inn Water Line Association
-Richardson Sideroad Waterline Association
-Tecumseh Waterline Association
-Tilbury Townline Waterline Association
-and Leamington (Wheatley DS)
Chatham-Kent's Acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai is advising residents to bring the water to a rolling boil for at least one minute prior to using it for domestic purposes.
That includes for drinking, making infant formula and juice, brushing teeth, washing raw foods and making ice.
This advisory measure is in place until there is more information regarding the water operator.