Village keeps working on water

Editor, OBSERVER:

We’ve had a good handful of water boil orders and I just wanted to run through some of the issues we have been having and provide some information.

Most of our water boils over the past two to three years have been related to chlorination failures. At some point a few years ago we installed a chlorinator which ended up using a lot of consumable tubing. The failure rate of the tubing was in fact incredible and often outstripped our ability to keep supplies on hand, especially with supply chain issues that developed. We recently replaced that chlorinator with one that does not have the same issue which should reduce our vulnerability to these problems going forward.

We have had a few boil orders for other reasons. It turns out that enough sediment escapes our filtration that when the clear well was inspected and later cleaned there was so much in there that we could not prevent a boil order.

This goes to the nature of our filtration system which is not really sufficient for its purpose. We had one boil order due to employee error and more recently we had one due to what we should call an “extreme turbidity event” a combination of very heavy rain and spring ice melt which overwhelmed our ability to filter it. We should be aware that really heavy rains are becoming more common in our climate.

A number of people ask why we don’t just use our existing backup connections during these problems so that we don’t have to boil water? The major problem we have is that we cannot turn off the flow of contaminated water out of the treatment plant, even if we could get enough water through these connections, so that no matter what clean water we could add, we would be mixing it with contaminated water, leaving no option but to boil. There is a shutoff valve, but it has not worked in many years. Perhaps someone would like to fund a study on what it would take to be able to use it again!

At this time our primary enemy is turbidity — aka, muck in the water. The new chlorinator is working well and should help to prevent many of our recent issues.

While things are looking up in some ways, risk to our drinking water still exists. With that, I leave you these words from the Fredonia Censor, July 10, 1895: “It is not creditable to boast of our water supply and then set before a guest a goblet of mud soup, liable to be any color from that of saffron tea to old fashioned black strap.”

BEN BRAUCHLER,

Village trustee,

Fredonia

Surveys don’t give us a voice

Editor, OBSERVER:

It doesn’t happen always — or often, but I’m in accord with Andrew Ludwig’s reaction to U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy’s disappointing surveys (May 31).

Why doesn’t Langworthy pose questions of interest and concern to at least some of his constituents? For example, did President Donald Trump say or did he not say that Immigration and Law Enforcement would target the worst of the worst? If President Trump demands a detention facility in our back yard, will Langworthy be both thumbs up?

Does Langworthy believe that Trump’s idea for an “anti-weaponization” settlement fund is a good use of taxpayer funds … or even legal? Does Langworthy believe that the Trump negotiators will broker a deal with Iran any better than the Obama deal that Trump saw fit to jettison? A simple yes or no, please: Does the U.S. Does the U.S. Constitution contain a foreign emoluments clause prohibiting the president from receiving any gift, or payment from a foreign state or its rulers? Legitimate questions abound.

A recent Langworthy survey questioned my position on the mistreatment of cats and dogs. Spoiler alert: I am opposed! As I am opposed to the heavy redaction of the Epstein files and the mistreatment of young women and girls.

Someone in the office is expending efforts and resources to design pointless surveys, skewed to support pre-ordained agendas: all under the guise of constituent input. We can guess to what end these “surveys” are used.

GAIL A. CROWE,

Fredonia