Lawn watering restrictions are being implemented for all residential and commercial customers on the municipal water system in Wheatley and Tilbury.
The Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission (CK PUC) made the announcement late Friday afternoon, adding the water restrictions are effective immediately and apply to lawn watering, all irrigation, and other non-essential uses of the potable water supply.
Limitations with the temporary water treatment plant in Wheatley and the hot weather lately get the blame for the water restrictions.
CK PUC said customers with odd-numbered addresses will be allowed to water their lawns on odd-numbered days while customers with even-numbered addresses will be allowed to water their lawns on even-numbered days.
There will be a two-month grace period for newly sodded lawns, said the utilities commission.
“Due to the limitations of the current temporary water treatment plant in Wheatley and the extended hot weather that this region has been experiencing, lawn watering has placed extra demands on the Water System” said CK PUC General Manager Darren Galbraith. "This is the first step in the restrictions. CK PUC may need to implement further restrictions if the water system does not see any relief."
The temporary water treatment plant is in place to treat the water while the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant is down for repair due to a fire eight months ago.
A blaze broke out in the plant's generator room on September 13, 2023 during regular maintenance.
CK PUC officials said at the time that the plant would be down for a year or more because a new pump would take 12-18 months to arrive.
There was also significant damage to compressors and electrical wires, which must be replaced, along with several other critical plant components that were damaged in the fire.