Michael Ferguson

Another boil-water order is in effect for the village of Fredonia users.

This is the seventh boil order for users in the last 32 months with the most recent being in July. At that time, officials blamed high turbidity levels at the plant that led to one of the workers resigning his position at the location.

On Friday afternoon, the Chautauqua County Health Department and the village issued the order for all water customers and properties outside the village boundaries supplied by the Fredonia water system. During the day, the village received results of two failing bacteria samples in the distribution system; one containing E. coli. Boiling the water kills bacteria and other microbes that may be present.

“This is not a plant filtration issue, but a distribution issue,” Mayor Michael Ferguson said in a Facebook post. “E. coli and other bacterias have been found outside of the plant!”

All Fredonia water customers must boil water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth and making coffee until further notice. Water must be brought to a rolling boil for one minute then cooled prior to use.

Boiled or bottled water must be used to wash dishes by hand; dishes should be allowed to completely air dry after washing. Home dishwashers that reach a temperature of 170 degrees and have a full dry cycle do not need to be boiled. The water may be used for bathing as long as it is not consumed. The water is safe for laundry.

The village will collect several follow-up water samples on consecutive days to make sure the water is safe. Notifications and press releases will be used to inform the public when the boil water order is lifted.

For more information on boiling water and emergency disinfection visit the New York State Department of Health website at www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/boilwater. Press releases will be posted on the Chautauqua County website at chqgov.com/news. For more information, residents should call the Village of Fredonia at (716) 679-2307 and Chautauqua County Health Department permitted facilities can call the Health Department directly at (716) 753-4481.