FREDONIA — James Stoyle and Randy Woodbury kept the water simmering in Fredonia’s epic debate Tuesday.

The Dunkirk councilman and Department of Public Works director hit back against people who have questioned the safety of city water in the OBSERVER, during a Common Council meeting.

Fredonia’s trustees are eying a move to city water for the village, declaring an intention to do so in a 3-2 vote Dec. 26. Some supporters of the other side of the debate — seeking to keep Fredonia’s reservoir, treatment plant and water source — have suggested Dunkirk’s source, Lake Erie, contains harmful materials.

Stoyle complained about “These folks from south of us, using damaging language in the paper, it’s about our drinking water. Do we respond to that or do we just let them keep rambling on about this thing?”

Woodbury responded, “If a group wants to promote their water, fine. But we’re not going to bash their water. If they make their decisions, that’s on them.”

He continued, “Our water is excellent. Since the 1990s, we’ve filtered with granulated activated carbon. Look it up on Wikipedia, it’s the best barrier against anything that might be out there. Our turbidity under the filter beds is 0.04 (nephelometric turbidity units). Regulation is 1. We meet that turbidity requirement 100% of the time. Excellent, excellent, excellent water. Anything that’s legacy stuff out there — very minute, but by the time it gets through the activated carbon, it’s zero.

“All we put in the water is H20. That’s what you get out of your tap. If you want to put more stuff in there… fluoride or zinc or something like that, that’s up to you.”

Stoyle thanked Woodbury and added, “People were concerned, and I believe anyone on this council should be concerned, about them bashing our stuff. They don’t seem to have a problem drinking it when they have a boil water order.”

Stoyle added he was pretty sure his fellow council members agreed with him. All four nodded or murmured agreement.