A recent survey of Fredonia’s water system by the Chautauqua County Health Department found the village has corrected numerous deficiencies — but many remain.

The survey was conducted Feb. 11 and outlined in a Feb. 18 letter to village officials. Here’s a list of some of the issues noted:

— A recent survey by SUNY Fredonia faculty found “the reservoir has lost a significant percentage of its original volume.” There is no evidence that the reservoir has been dredged, or its volume maintained in any other way, since it opened in 1938.

— One of two clarifiers is operated with a temporary connection to remove excess sludge. That’s an improvement on the May 2023 inspection by state health officials which caused the county Health Department to threaten penalties. At that time, both clarifiers relied on makeshift connections.

— The water treatment plant does not have its own power generator.

— No operation and maintenance manual is available for the treatment plant, the Webster Road tank and pump station, or the Vineyard Drive pump station.

— The treatment plant has no barriers to keep it closed off from intruders.

— “The current plant design is incapable of handling fluctuating water quality related to conditions that have been observed in the reservoir such as high turbidity, historical algae blooms, high Total Organic Carbon, and undesirable metals.”

— The plant can’t shut off the flow from the reservoir into the intake lines because valves are not functional.

— Fredonia has not addressed deficiencies in the dam noted in a 2023 state Department of Environmental Conservation report.

— Neither of the clarifiers can be taken out of operation for maintenance, as each is too small to handle Fredonia’s average daily usage of 1.44 million gallons alone.

— The plant has no automatic shutdown system when standards for chlorine residuals are not met. Therefore, the plant must be manned at all times.

— Three boil water orders in 2023-25 “were all caused by not having a second operational pump.” Backup pumps are available and on site, but are not calibrated or installed.

— Another reason for the latest boil order in February was that there were no parts available for chlorine pumps. “Fredonia uses a disinfection process that is not commonly seen in water treatment plants in our county, therefore parts and supplies are not readily available.”

The county Health Department also made clear that the village has taken some significant steps to improve its water plant. These include:

— Backwash pumps were removed, rebuilt and replaced.

— Clear well vents were screened, and brush and weeds removed from the well.

— Notable work has occurred at the Webster Road station, with security enhancements, pumps in the process of replacement, and secondary containment provided for liquids stored on site.

The Feb. 18 county Health Department letter was revealed by village officials during March’s first Board of Trustees meeting. The full letter is available on Fredonia’s village website.

Trustee Ben Brauchler commented, “It’s very obvious that a lot of deficiencies are related to the design of the plant and the infrastructure there. Many things that they’re citing are things that just cannot be changed without tearing down and rebuilding.”

Brauchler said five of the deficiencies outlined in the latest report were first noted in 2008 or earlier.

“Two-thirds of the capacity of the reservoir has silted up and does not exist any longer. We just won’t have the water,” he said.