FREDONIA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Chautauqua County Health Department announced a water conservation order has been issued for all Village of Fredonia water customers as water treatment plant maintenance began on Monday.
"Currently the Fredonia water treatment plant is going through maintenance, this routine maintenance should have been happening on a regular schedule but unfortunately, it hasn't been happening for a few years. So now that sediment needs to be taken out, " said Jessica Wuerstle, the Chautauqua County Director of Environmental Health Services.
Wuerstle told 7 News reporter Jaurdyn Johnson this work could lead to the sediment getting into the water supply, To avoid a boil water order the Village is asking everyone to be mindful of how much water they're using.
"This maintenance happening now is an attempt to take care of those concerns and inefficiencies that need to be taken care of regardless of what Fredonia decides to do with their water system," said Wuerstle.
The Village Board of Trustees announced in late December it would phase out its own water tanks and connect to Dunkirk's water system.
SUNY Fredonia students say boiling and conserving water has never crossed their minds before living in the Village.
"It's a frequent thing we are used to and I have a bottle of water in my car ready to go. Ultimately if other places can have functioning water I think we could too."
"Being college students we have to dish out money on water bottles and keep our own stocks and it feels like it should be something that is provided without fear of the water running out or being infected"
Longtime resident Renee Pechelka says she hasn't had to boil water until a few years ago and says hopefully something will be done to fix it.
"It's not ideal, it's a very big issue to try and rectify without trying to cost us a lot of money"
