Fredonia has received a water system ultimatum from the Chautauqua County Health Department: Decide by Dec. 29 whether it will fully renovate its treatment plant or decommission it.

That’s just one of several new deadlines laid out by Natalie Whiteman, the Health Department water expert working closely with Fredonia on remedying its sanitary survey violations, in an email to the village.

Fredonia Mayor Douglas Essek read Whiteman’s email at a Board of Trustees meeting.

She began by commending the village for work it has done so far in correcting the violations. “The water operator and other village staff are obviously working hard to rectify the issues that can be addressed while awaiting the results of the current engineering study,” Whiteman wrote.

The study is by the LaBella firm, which is expected to counsel whether the water treatment plant should get revamped or decommissioned.

“This department recognizes that some of the deficiencies … may never be addressed depending on the outcome of that study,” Whiteman continued. “However, we also recognize that the plant must continue ro produce safe drinking water until either major repairs or upgrades are made to the plant, or the decision is made to decommission the plant and interconnections are made to the other suppliers in the area.”

She went on to lay out an updated compliance timeline. “At this point, the village has addressed the items needed to avoid an administrative hearing in November,” she wrote.

“However, due to the fact that many of the remaining deficiencies have been cited for years and have been addressed in previous engineering studies,” and in light of LaBella’s study due in mid-November, the Health Department is requiring notification by Dec. 29 of a decision on the water plant’s future.

Whiteman laid out some other key dates for Fredonia’s water system. These include:

— The village must have a plan to unblock or replace valves on lines from upflow clarifiers by Nov. 1.

— Restore or install equipment notifying operators that feed pumps have failed by April 30.

— The Webster Road storage tank must be returned to normal operating conditions by May 1. Fencing and security measures must be completed there “as soon as weather permits.”

— Submit engineering plans to address the lack of finished water storage by June 30.

If Fredonia chooses to keep using its treatment plant, it must submit calculations to prove the reservoir can supply it during a 50-year drought. It must also address deficiencies in the dam, and improve security near the plant, among other things.

“Now’s the time to act and when we get that (LaBella) report, we need to act on that,” Essek concluded. “I want to assure the public that we are acting on these items.”