VILLAGE OF FREDONIA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Village of Fredonia is coming close to solving an issue that's been around for decades. One the county predicts could lead to catastrophic failure if not addressed.
"I look at it like the Titanic, if the Titanic changed their course by just a half a degree before they hit the iceberg, they could've avoided that and right now that's where I see us at in the Village of Fredonia," said Mayor Douglas Essek.
Instead of an iceberg, it's a water problem. The water system is old, like really old, and hasn't seen major upgrades since 1929.
So how did we get here and what's the solution? We're taking extra time to break it all down for you. You'll hear from:
- Emily Aults, General Manager at a Fredonia restaurant
- Mayor Douglas Essek, whose term is over at the end of the year
- PJ Wendel, Chautauqua County Executive
- Jon Espersen, Village Trustee
The Restaurant Manager
It's tough to serve your customers good food and drinks when your water source isn't safe.
"We're boiling water and putting it in our own jugs in case we need it for cooking or to wash hands, even, we don't want to wash our hands in the water that's not safe," said Emily Aults, General Manager.
Walmart has become their best friend. They buy 2 liters of soda and bottled drinks to sell. But all that adjusting over time can be bad for their bottom line.
"We've probably lost a good $8,000-$10,000 in the last 10 years...so we can have somewhere to serve food where they can go and eat if they can't eat at home," said Aults.
The last boil water order was in June. Aults and most others found out about it through this Facebook post with restricted comments.
Even on a good day, she says customers ask for bottled water instead and they share their frustrations.
"They voice to us how they're just in the dark, they don't know how long it's gonna take, nobody knows anything. There's no communication from the Village to the people," said Aults.
The Current Mayor
Mayor Douglas Essek is well aware of people's frustrations.
"They're concerned, they're upset, they're angry. This has been going on for so long, people don't want to be burdened with boiling water all the time. We've had three boil water orders in the last two years," said Essek.
So what exactly is wrong with the water? It's the high turbidity, aka the clarity of the water.
"That would possibly attach itself to bacteria that you can't see," said Essek.
The causes of high turbidity can lead to waterborne disease outbreaks, which have caused intestinal illnesses throughout the United States, according to the United States Geological Survey.
So, safe to bathe in, but not safe to drink or brush your teeth with.
What took so long to fix this?
"It's a combination of factors, both out of our control and in our control and we're [going to stop] kicking the water bottle down the road right now," said Essek.
The County Executive
Mayor Essek's term is over at the end of 2023, so Chautauqua County will help the incoming mayor Mike Ferguson finish the job.
"We are here to help, we are here to assist, whether that's applying for federal monies, state monies, assisting in letters of support as they move forward with projects," said PJ Wendel, County Executive.
It's because of the county's health department that things are finally moving.
"The county was in a situation where we would be forced to impose fines if these deficiencies weren't met and corrected," said Wendel.
He says it's not that the water's not safe, the system is just too old.
"When they have failures now or valves that have to be replaced, they almost have to be custom made, because they no longer make those parts," said Wendel.
The Village Trustee
There are four solutions on the table, thanks to studies done by engineering firm LaBella:
- Fix the dam and the water treatment plant
- Stop using the dam and buy water from Dunkirk
- Drill down the dam and buy water from Dunkirk
- Look for ground water in wells south of Fredonia to address some of the need and get the rest from Dunkirk
"Now it's up to us to decide which path we're going to take going forward," said Espersen.
Three out of five trustees must vote together on this final decision, which must be made by the end of the year. There is some wiggle room though.
"We're not locked into that plan. If we choose an option and we start going down that road and find out that that option is not really the best viable option for us, for whatever reason, we can change course," said Espersen.
Neighbors can voice their opinions at a public hearing on December 18th at the Village Opera House, 9 Church St.
"The trustees and the mayor take this situation very seriously, we're gonna make, hopefully, the best decision based on the information provided and your input is really important," said Espersen.
