Some Tilbury residents under a boil water advisory were glad to get free bottled water, but say the process took too long.
Dozens of vehicles lined up at the Tilbury Arena on Thursday at noon to get their cases of water. Thursday was the first day of bottled water distribution by the municipality and the 15th day of the boil water advisory.
A fire at the Wheatley Water Treatment Plant on September 13, 2023 triggered the boil water advisory due to low pressure.
Tilbury resident Jim Trepanier Jr. told CK News Today boiling water is time consuming and bottled water is expensive.
"Hectic, it's time consuming. If you want to drink it you gotta let it cool off. Right now, bottled water is almost six bucks for a case," said Trepanier Jr.
Tilbury resident Josh Jones said it could be worse.
"It hasn't been too troubling. I mean boiled water doesn't taste too great. The coffee tastes a little off, but that's about it," Jones said.
James Lowry said it's a pain to boil water all the time, adding the boil water advisory has gone on too long and the bottled water should have come sooner.
"I didn't think it would last this long. After a week I think it should have been done. [I'm not] really worried about the money, it's just you have to boil water all the time," he said.
Tilbury resident Ed Cameron said he appreciates the free bottled water, and also expressed that it shouldn't have taken this long to do it.
"It's definitely going to make things a little bit easier, but I thought it would have been done within a few days, not a couple of weeks," he said.
Chatham-Kent's Manager of Corporate Communications Eric Labadie told CK News that 24 pallets of water were distributed in Tilbury and eight pallets were handed out in Wheatley as of 4 p.m.
"It’s been great so far, and we’ve had some excellent feedback from the residents receiving water. They’re very appreciative," said Labadie.
Bottled water can be picked up at the Wheatley arena and Tilbury arena parking lots daily between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. until the boil water advisory ends.
The municipality said each family is allowed one or two cases of bottled water per day, but if more is needed it can be arranged.
The Wheatley Resource Centre (108 Talbot Road East) and the Tilbury Food Bank (26 Queen Street North) will continue to offer bottled water to vulnerable populations.
