Wednesday, December 17, 2025
The Wheatley Water Treatment Plant is back in full operation after extensive rehabilitation work following a fire in September 2023, the Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission (CK PUC) says.
The plant has been fully restored and is once again supplying safe, high-quality drinking water to residents in Wheatley and Tilbury. CK PUC said the rehabilitation effort involved significant repairs and the replacement of several components with newer technology to improve long-term reliability and performance.
The work was completed through a coordinated effort by PUC staff and local contractors, allowing full operations to resume after more than a year of recovery efforts.
“This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our staff, contractors, and partners who worked tirelessly to restore the facility and ensure uninterrupted service to the community,” said Karen Burgess, CK PUC’s director of operations, in a statement.
During the outage, the Municipality of Leamington provided support to help maintain water service in the affected communities. Wheatley residents and major water users were also asked to accommodate operational requests during the repair period.
Coun. Lauren Anderson thanked utility staff, partner municipalities and the community for their cooperation throughout the recovery process.
CK PUC said it remains committed to protecting public health and maintaining reliable water services through continued investment in infrastructure and operational improvements.
Featured image: Municipality of Chatham-Kent
