Chatham-Kent's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is going to pay the nearly $200,000 bill for providing and distributing bottled water to the residents of Wheatley and Tilbury.
A Boil Water Advisory was issued by the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit for municipal water users in Wheatley and Tilbury on September 13, following a fire at the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant.
After the fire, municipal drinking water was, and continues to be, supplied through interconnects with neighbouring water systems and hauled bulk water.
On September 25, CK Council passed a motion to supply bottled water to those affected by the Boil Water Advisory.
A total of 18,574 cases of bottled water were distributed from the Wheatley and Tilbury Arenas from September 28 to October 5. More than 12,000 cases of water remain in the municipality's stock supply.
According to the PUC, the cost of the water amounted to $139,535.67 and the labour required to distribute it cost $55,022.24.
On Wednesday, the PUC members agreed that the payment for the bill would come from the 2023 water reserve budget.
A policy about timeliness in providing bottled water to residents in future emergency situations, how long that service would last, and who will pay for it is currently being written.
The timeline to get the water treatment plant back up and running remains on track.
CK PUC General Manager Tim Sunderland reported that cleaning the site is ongoing and that the damaged generator is scheduled to be removed in January.
Two mobile water treatment trailers are expected to be delivered and operational by January.
A list of other costs associated with the maintenance and repair of the plant will be submitted to the insurer for reimbursement.
