Field work is flowing fast in Fredonia’s project to connect with the North County Water District.

Matt Higgins of project engineers LaBella, joined by a couple co-workers, offered an update at the Fredonia Board of Trustees workshop Monday. He quickly reviewed the scope of the plan to connect with the water district through the town of Pomfret, and split the village into two pressure zones.

Higgins noted that pressure reducing valve vaults and interconnection structures will need to be built. The vaults and the zones are necessary because the village is at a higher elevation than North County Water District source Dunkirk, and that system’s water has more pressure than Fredonia’s.

Higgins said geophysical field work is “ongoing,” noting recent activity on Water Street. Topographic survey work and subsurface utility location will begin next week, he said.

LaBella plans a study “to look at any anticipated impacts of mixing water from outside the village into the village on existing village piping, to make sure there’s no corrosion or loss of corrosion protection, and make sure that we’re able to boost chlorine and adjust pH at the boundaries as needed.”

That study is getting coordinated with the town of Pomfret, city of Dunkirk, and NCWD, Higgins continued.

He noted that a “Variety of coordination meetings are ongoing.” For example, there was a progress meeting with the village trustees’ water committee last week, and a meeting is upcoming with Pomfret engineers CPL.

The presentation transitioned to money talk. Jenn Vaughn, a CPL grant specialist, said the connection project is projected to cost $17.5 million. Part of that is covered by a $5 million grant from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corp.

The rest, as of now, would be funded by a $12.5 million no interest loan. However, Vaughn continues to search for more grant funding. She mentioned making applications for another $5 million grant, and for a separate $1.25 million grant.

She said that currently, with the NYSEFC’s $5 million in place, the project would cost each Fredonia water user $101.68 per year over the next 30 years. The number goes down if more grants are secured.

Vaughn went on for a bit about potential future grant opportunities. “Free would be really good,” cracked Trustee LeeAnn Lazarony near the end of the discussion. Everyone in the room laughed.

The LaBella representatives weren’t finished — they moved on to talk about a plan to replace a water main near Central Avenue and Temple Street, where a catastrophic rupture earlier this year led to a boil water order and significant infra damage. The OBSERVER will cover that discussion in a future article.