Wheatley water treatment plant could take a year or more to fix after fire

Wheatley's water treatment plant might notto be return to normal operations fora year or more, but a boil-water advisory isn't expected to last that long, officials said Wednesday.

The communities of Wheatley and Tilbury in Chatham-Kenthave been under a boil-water advisory for a week afterfire caused damage to the water treatmentfacility.

Officials said the full extent of the damage isn't known yet, but a preliminary investigation found that the timeline for the return of normal operations could stretch beyond a year, due to significant damage to specialized systems. Parts to fix those systemscan take a long time to get delivered.

"We would like the people of Wheatley and Tilbury to know that although the water treatment plant will be out of service for the foreseeable future, this does not necessarily mean that the boil-water advisory will be active for that amount of time as well," Tim Sunderland, general manager of Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission said in a media release.

"Once we stabilize the water supply, which we are working to do now, we will be able to test the water with accurate and repeatable results."

In addition to the boil-water advisory, those in the Wheatley and Tilburyareas can expect to see low water pressure. The utilities board is also asking residents, along with those inBlenheim, Merlin, Coatsworth, Shrewsbury, Rondeau and Erieau, to conserve water until further notice.

The municipality says that the latest information on the advisory is available by calling519-436-3240.