The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is directing residents and businesses in Chatham and several surrounding communities to continue restricting water use to essential purposes only, as the municipal water system faces significant supply challenges following repairs to the main water transmission line feeding the Chatham Water Treatment Plant.
The municipality said these emergency restrictions are temporary and necessary to maintain adequate supplies while the system stabilizes following the repairs.
There is currently no impact on the safety or quality of the drinking water. Water from the system remains safe to drink.
The emergency severe water restrictions apply to Chatham, Grande Pointe, Pain Court, Dover Centre, Mitchell’s Bay, Dresden, Tupperville, Eberts, Jeannette’s Creek, Thamesville and Kent Bridge
Chatham residents were asked to conserve water earlier this week as repairs are underway on a major water transmission line along Charing Cross Road, which supplies the Chatham Water Treatment Plant.
Residents in the affected communities are directed to use municipal water only for essential purposes, including drinking, brushing teeth and flushing toilets.
Residents are directed to stop other water use, including showering and bathing, doing laundry, watering lawns and gardens, washing vehicles, filling pools or hot tubs and other non-essential uses of water
Residents are asked not to fill bathtubs, buckets or other containers to store water as a precaution.
Businesses whose operations involve significant water consumption, including car washes, dog washes and laundromats, are being asked to voluntarily close for the day.
The Municipality is also shutting down municipal operations that require significant water use in the impacted communities, including splash pads, arenas and municipal pools.
These restrictions are intended to be a short-term measure while the water system stabilizes following the transmission line repairs.
