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Emergency declared over village water

The water situation has caused Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek to declare a state of emergency in the village.

In a news release Saturday, the mayor issued the following statement:

“The Village of Fredonia hereby declares a local state of emergency effective Saturday September 12, 2020.

“This local state of emergency has been declared due to the water emergency with the Village of Fredonia water system.

“In coordination with the other government agencies, this proactive action is taken to protect the general public and to provide safe drinking water to the community.

“We will assist with distribution of potable drinking water until this situation ends.

“Our employees will be available to assist the public during normal hours of operation by telephone at (716) 679-2307. After hours (emergency only, please): (716) 679-1531.

“This State of Emergency will remain in effect for a period not to exceed 30 days or until rescinded, whichever occurs first. This order may be extended for an additional period not to exceed 30 days.

“As the Mayor of the Village of Fredonia, I Douglas P. Essek exercise the authority given to me under Article 2-B, Section 24 of the New York State Executive Law, for the purpose of procuring goods and services, and to render all required and available assistance that is vital to the security, well-being, and health and safety of the citizens of the Village of Fredonia,” stated Essek.

Fredonia has been on a boil water notice since Thursday after a water sample taken the day before showed turbidity levels of 1.1 units, above the maximum allowable standard of 1.0. Because of these high levels of turbidity, health officials say there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms.

Customers are asked to boil water before using as well as conserve water until further notice.“We had a hot summer with little rain,” Essek said Thursday. “This often can cause a lot of algae growth. The filters were also overdue for replacement, with COVID-19 this was pushed back.”

“Do not drink the water without boiling it first,” the village said in its boil water order. “Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute and let it cool before using, or use bottled water certified for sale by the New York State Department of Health. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation under further notice.”

From Friday to Sunday, Fredonia distributed water bottles to local residents.

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