I am responding to the commentary “Dots have been connected, don’t look away” from May 16 by Andrew Ludwig in the OBSERVER. I wish to offer two new sets of dots.

First, dismantle the commentary dots which are largely based on misinformation, half truths and even deception. Second, reassemble the dots in the correct way.

Upon my careful review of that article, I realized it is imperative that our village residents and businesses understand the Fredonia water situation the right way. As I have said in the past, opinions and ultimately decisions should be based on factual information and data. It is so easy to spin and distort the truth.

Accordingly, I will present statements made in that article and in rebuttal fashion with my understanding and perspective of the truth supported with factual information. So let’s begin this effort to dismantle and reassemble “the dots”.

In my commentary March 21, “Village’s future tied to reliable water,” I made the case to decommission our existing water treatment plant and reservoir and connect it to the North County Water District. I highlighted our water infrastructure as a system. That means it is made up of various components and subsystems which include the watershed reservoir, WTP to filter and purify the water and a piping distribution network to deliver that water to your home or business. A weakness or breakdown in any of these areas would be highly problematic if not chaotic.

The writer said that previous DPW Supervisor David Bird stated most water boils could be eliminated by replacing the distribution piping. The fact is, the village DPW has not caused a water boil event while repairing a water main.

Extreme caution and practice are taken to not allow that to happen. This is ensured that a DPW foreman worker must have a class D water license and sufficient experience to perform the repairs. The previous commentary distorts the truth of water boil events caused by water main breaks. They don’t and they haven’t. I requested a listing of nine of the most recent water boil orders from our county Health Department. None were due to water main breaks. Therefore, this claim is false.

An ambiguous statement was made regarding the interconnect project cost of $17.5 million. The writer claims this is only part of the total cost. The only variable to potentially readjust the cost would be inflation. Also, he makes statements of “cobbling together a number of grants and interest free loans none of which are guaranteed or cover the cost of the project.”

The reality is the village has been awarded a $5 million grant plus a recent $1.25 million Environmental Facilities Corp. state grant to help fund the project. In addition, the state has offered a $12.5 million 30-year interest free loan. These grants and loans would never occur if the village was standalone in restoring its water system because it would not be operating “inter-municipal” (as we are with the NCWD).

That is a very critical and necessary component and requirement to secure funding from state and federal government levels. Currently, Labella is processing funding applications to minimize project costs at the local level. The writer calls the NCWD project “costly and unnecessary.” It is necessary and though it is costly, major and continued efforts are in place to maximize funding subsidization.

An additional claim was made that Fredonia will lose independence with its water system. Yes, Fredonia will buy water from the district but will sell water to our customers. Therefore, there will be a purchasing cost but a revenue source as well. Once the village plant is decommissioned, overhead expenses for existing staff will be significantly reduced. Purchase of plant utilities, pricey chemicals and expensive maintenance of a 98-year-old plant will drop out.

There are claims that water rates “rise uncontrollably.” The village contract with the district will help to regulate cost increases. Operator and maintenance costs for the village apply for that piping that only exists in the village and not outside. As the district adds customers, it is anticipated that the overall cost of water will gradually decline.

Ludwig claims the “truth is being shielded” regarding debt the water district owes the county. Reality and truth is NCWD is actively paying back the county over time. A number of factors have delayed payments including COVID. Additionally, there is no intention of the water district to “hijack Fredonia.”

Ludwig claims, “Go with the lower cost approach. upgrade the village’s infrastructure, WTP, dam and reservoir.” Lowest cost? Best long term approach (100 years)?

The existing dam and associated spillways have structural issues, the reservoir has never ever been dredged. That cost alone can only be estimated but I can safely say it would be in the multi millions of dollars. Also, being watershed water, it has very high turbidity which creates a special challenge to efficiently filter it. At one point decades ago, bathymetric surveys indicated the overall water capacity of the reservoir to be about 325 million gallons. Currently, it is estimated at just over 200 million gallons. That is roughly a 33% reduction in capacity due to lack of maintenance and dredging. Effectively, reservoir capacity is grossly limited.

The plant is now in much better condition with the newly added liquid chlorinator project completed. Water boils have not occurred since its installation last January — save one on March 27 due to water turbidity. However, the plant overall capacity to produce clean filtered water is marginal, as it is close to maximum output production. The 75-foot dropoff into Canadaway Creek is a mere two feet from the plant’s foundation edge. The cliff embankment is continuing to erode.

I have data that sourced directly from the Chautauqua County health department. In reference to water boils over the past three plus years:

— March 27, elevated turbidity in reservoir and plant, four days.

— Dec. 16, disinfection system failure, chlorination, three days.

— Sept. 19, failing bacteria samples in the system, three days.

— July 8, 2025, operator error, treatment disruption, seven days.

— Feb. 3, 2025, chlorine treatment failure, four days.

— Feb. 8, 2024, chlorine treatment failure, three days.

— Feb. 23, 2023, chlorine treatment failure, two days.

— Sept. 10, 2020, High turbidity due to algae blooms in reservoir, 20 days

In summary: there were four water boils due to our inferior chlorinator system, one due to operator error, and two due to high water turbidity. This data reveals that only one incident was caused by an operator error, and remaining events due to high water turbidity and (most significantly) frequent equipment faults in the chlorination process. These disruptions affected all water customers in the village of Fredonia.

The neglect of past administrations to tackle our infrastructure issues has indeed presented the need for action. It is imperative the village moves forward with intention, purpose and clear direction. This is where we are now and exactly what we are doing. The way forward for the Fredonian water issue is crystal clear. We have dispelled the legacy myths and inaccuracies. Factual data and evidence of an old failing system coupled with a lengthy Consent Order from the county health department, strongly promote a path that connects the village water system with Lake Erie water via the North County Water District.

About two months ago, I proposed the idea of presenting our water project information to the public in a very personal, direct fashion. Thus, on Thursday, July 9 at the new Pomfret Town Hall on Chestnut Road, representatives from the village, North County Water District, Labella Engineering and the county Health Department will be available to dialogue with residents and business owners face to face. Please note this is not a forum or debate. Our format is civil dialogue. That’s it and I hope to see you there.

I hope that we can now see the dots being properly reconnected.

Paul Wandel is a Fredonia resident and trustee.