The Public Utilities Commission of Chatham-Kent is asking residents in Wheatley and Tilbury to conserve their water following a fire at the water treatment plant in Wheatley.
Firefighters responded to the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant on Detroit Line around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday after a blaze broke out in the generator room.
Crews were able to extinguish the blaze quickly.
Officials say the site has undergone significant damage and as a result, the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant is not operational at this time.
Residents in Wheatley and Tilbury will experience low water pressure for the time being.
The PUC is asking residents of Wheatley, Tilbury, and customers served by the South Water Treatment Plant - including the communities of Blenheim, Merlin, Coatsworth, Shrewsbury, Rondeau, and Erieau to conserve water until further notice.
"The Public Utilities Commission has implemented an emergency plan and has opened water interconnect systems and is currently feeding water into Wheatley from different regions," the municipality said in a release Wednesday evening.
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.
