Waterloo Region to receive settlement related to treatment plant blast

Region to partially claim on an accident that cost it nearly a million dollars

Waterloo Region to receive settlement related to treatment plant blast

Insurance News

By Lyle Adriano

Waterloo Region is set to receive $600,000 in an insurance settlement relating to an accident back in 2014 when a chemical explosion erupted at the Greenbrook water treatment plant in Kitchener.

In 2014, a chlorine tank at 20 Greenbrook Drive exploded when it was accidentally filled with ammonia by a delivery person. No-one was injured by the blast, but the incident left a strong chemical odor in the air.

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Following the incident, the region had to pay for repairs and cleanup, which totaled nearly $1 million. Not all costs, however, were eligible to be recovered in the insurance settlement with Canada Colours and Chemicals Ltd.

“It’s good to get it settled and we’re up and running and things are good,” Regional Chair Ken Seiling told The Waterloo Region Record.

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As of October 2015, cleanup and reconstruction had cost the region approximately $955,000.

Some of the costs not eligible in the claim included improvements made during repairs, regional staff costs, and the municipal harmonized sales tax rebate.

“It was just a matter of the insurance companies working out who covered what … and we’ve done as well as we can through insurance,” Selling said.

Measures were taken after the incident to avoid another explosion. Immediately after the blast, a consultant was hired to inspect all the region’s treatment sites. The expert confirmed that tanks that store one chemical were at low risk, with those that store more than one at higher risk of explosion.

The advice led to several safety procedures being implemented region-wide.


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