A report by LaBella discusses the current reservoir.

Fredonia’s engineers have decided the village should buy water from the North County Water District and decommission its dam and reservoir.

Representatives from LaBella Associates presented their findings from a new study of Fredonia’s water system Tuesday at a Board of Trustees meeting. It was quite similar to an October 2023 presentation about a previous LaBella study, which suggested buying water directly from the city of Dunkirk. The city is also the sole water supplier to the North County Water District.

“The basis of this recommendation is in large part non-monetary,” LaBella’s Matt Higgins said. He ticked off a list of concerns about Fredonia’s current water system setup. These include a reservoir that has had drought worries in the past — but is also susceptible to damaging floods. Labella feels streambank stabilization at the reservoir will be a long term challenge and an ongoing cost.

“Historical non-compliance in adhering to regulatory standards” was also noted. This was likely a reference to the series of deficiencies state health officials found with the village water system last year. Fredonia has worked with the Chautauqua County Health Department to fix those deficiencies.

Higgins said: “We think that there are some benefits that could be had with leveraging interconnections with the nearby system, and efficiencies that could be gained through sharing personnel, (and) sharing lessons learned to maintain a system for village users that is regulatory-compliant. We think that drawing down the reservoir would accomplish several goals,” notably long-term liability reduction.

More coverage in Thursday’s edition.