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We understand the frustration of the Chautauqua County Health Department. Its presence at Fredonia Village Board meetings in the last 18 months is about being accountable while attempting to shed light on the challenges regarding water treatment.
What we did not agree with was a statement by Jessica Wuerstle regarding the boil-water and conservation orders, the latter of which ended Friday afternoon.
Wuerstle complained the media picks and chooses what it wants to run from her department’s releases, and accused it of not providing the full details on events. She suggested that people check the county Health Department website for full, unedited releases on newsworthy events.
“But truthfully, and kick me if I’m wrong, we’ve seen little to no decrease in the production rate since this order has been put in effect,” said water specialist Natalie Whiteman.
“People have not been conserving very well,” Wuerstle then chimed in.
For the record, we think the Health Department has done an excellent job throughout all the Fredonia water crises. They have their hands full.
But none of this situation is the media's fault. The reality is the users have become numb to any of these orders.
Boil water. Conserve water. Customers are regularly dealing with problems that come from their faucet.
It is why something has to change.
Ten years ago, water was a cash cow for the village coffers when Carriage House operated. Now it is consistently an ugly hen. It impacts both the area's economy, reputation and college enrollment negatively.
That is far from the media's problem, which has documented the system's deterioration for more than two decades. The real issue is the users -- who are not conserving.
But can you really blame them? They're bombarded with bad news regarding water on a regular basis.
That’s no longer alarming. It is just plain tiresome.