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Fredonia's recent conservation and boil water orders coupled with the explosive water main break on Johnson and Gardner streets highlight several very important facts critical for Fredonia water customers moving forward. First and foremost, the village's infrastructure will need to be replaced no matter where the village draws their water from. Regardless of whether the village joins the North County Water District or continues to use their own gravity-fed system, ancient water mains will continue to burst and will continue to deliver discolored water to customers until the mains are replaced. And if the village is buying water from the NCWD, when those ancient water mains burst, as they will until they are replaced, Fredonia will pay for every drop of water lost. Why buy water from Dunkirk or the NCWD only to deliver it through old and corroded pipes and possibly lose large volumes of it by way of water main breaks?
The village's current $22 million plan to join the NCWD does not include the replacement of aging infrastructure. At a village board workshop a few months ago, the idea of adding an infrastructure replacement piece to the NCWD project was discussed. It was stated at the time that replacing some of the more decrepit water mains in the village would cost around $6 million. This idea bubble seemed to burst when the discussion turned to financing both the joining of the NCWD and the replacement of aged infrastructure. At the time it was stated by several key members of village government that the village could not afford to do both. With the NCWD project now paused due to a lack of funds, it would appear that the village cannot afford to join the NCWD anyway.
In October 2025, the village of Fredonia was placed under a water conservation order. Drought conditions had lowered Fredonia's reservoir to a concerning level. There were worries at the time that the village's reservoir would run dry and Fredonians would be left without water. The village has a pump station connected to the city of Dunkirk's water delivery system. This pump station was constructed so that the city and village could provide water to one another during water shortages and emergencies. But in October 2025 inquiring minds were told that the Vineyard Drive pump station couldn't be used as intended due to differences in water system pressure. There were also concerns about water compatibility. Fredonia adds the ion orthophosphate to their water in order to line ancient pipes and prevent metals from leaching into drinking water. In a decision that was widely criticized, the Vineyard Drive pump station was not used in the fall of 2025.
Fast forward one year. To their credit, village government made efforts to disprove the claim that the Vineyard Drive pump station could not be used during water emergencies. The claims of incompatible water pressure and orthophosphate contamination were disproven. The Vineyard Drive pump station was used, as it was always intended to be, in order to deliver 900,000 gallons of water to Fredonia. This 900,000 gallons of water reportedly helped refill the village's emptied water storage tank on Webster Road and provided the WTP with the necessary water to backwash the plant's filters.
I was rather impressed after I attended the Monday, Oct. 26 village board meeting and listened to Mayor Ferguson and trustees explain the village's actions leading up to the water conservation order declared on Friday, Oct.23. It seemed the treatment plant operators, the DPW and village government had the situation well under control.
All of Fredonia was frustrated to wake up on Tuesday, Oct. 27 to the news that a boil water order had been declared. This after being reassured at the board meeting just the evening before that everything at the plant was working fine. Villagers were left to wonder what happened between Monday night and Tuesday morning to make a boil water order necessary?
Even the county health department officials, who attended the village board workshop meeting on Nov. 2, couldn't seem to pinpoint the cause of the boil water order called on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Trustee Tim Mulholland asked an excellent question of health department officials during that workshop. He pointed out that it will be at least two years before the NCWD project can be completed. He then asked what could be done at the plant to prevent future boil orders? Health Department officials Natalie Whiteman and Jessica Wuerstle mentioned that the replacement of the filter media at the WTP was long overdue. Sure sounds like timely filter replacement must have had something to do with this most recent boil water order. And that sounds once again like human error at the plant was the water problem rather than shortcomings with the system.
At any rate, the village is at least two years away from connecting with the NCWD. Investments will need to continue to be made in the WTP. Why invest all this money to simply decommission the plant?
You will read it here once again. The village of Fredonia should cut their losses and scrap their plan to join the NCWD. Address the aging water delivery system. Eliminate human error at the plant. Fix what we have while maintaining water redundancy by way of Dunkirk and the NCWD. Pump stations that were contractually required to be constructed, but never were, should finally be installed at the two water interconnects with the NCWD on Route 20. This will allow Fredonia to buy water from the NCWD and to also use the currently operating pump station on Vineyard Drive to provide water to the village during water emergencies. These pump stations could also be used to supply water to the village while aging infrastructure is replaced and upgrades are made to the water treatment plant and reservoir. This is the most logical and cost effective plan for Fredonia water.
Andrew Ludwig is a retired math teacher and a retired public school and Catholic school administrator. He currently works as a substitute teacher in Chautauqua County.