The village of Fredonia has issued a boil water order under direction from the Chautauqua County Department of Health.

In a news release, the village said a water sample taken Wednesday showed turbidity levels of 1.1 units, above the maximum allowable standard of 1.0. “Because of these high levels of turbidity, 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,” Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek said. “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 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.”

Turbidity has no health effects. However, turbidity can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth. It may indicate the presence of disease-causing organisms including bacteria, viruses and parasites.

According to the village, the direct filtration units at the Fredonia Water Treatment Plant have been scheduled for maintenance and media change out since early spring 2020. The work has been delayed due to scheduling issues associated with the current pandemic. Ironically the filters were scheduled to be replaced next week.

“Once those are replaced then we can lift the boil water order, we’ll be looking to do that next Friday,” Essek added. “It’s going to be at least a week though.”