Dunkirk’s water system chief confirmed to the OBSERVER Friday that city water rates will go up.

Randy Woodbury said “It will be up because of rising costs over three years but (the size of the hike) will be held down by economy of scale as use is growing.” He was conveying information from SUNY Fredonia professor Peter Reinelt, who is calculating the rate with his formula.

Woodbury said he is “still waiting on (the) exact number.”

They say “Words matter” — so does who you say them to. Woodbury had some slightly different words Thursday about the city’s look at the price of water sales. He was speaking to the North County Water District Board. The district purchases its water exclusively from Dunkirk.

Woodbury told Dunkirk officials at recent meetings that the city was just about certain to raise the price. However, on Thursday before an entity that would shoulder a hike, he backed off from that language.

“I’d call it a rate adjustment, rather than an increase,” he said. “That’s because the contract allows it to go down because of economy of scale.”

Woodbury suggested that water district officials meet with Reinelt and Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz, and “any kind of adjustment” can get discussed.

“So it looks like an increase?” asked water district board member Terry Niebel, a Chautauqua County legislator representing Sheridan.

“Based on cost-of-living trends in the county that parallel those in the district,” it appeared quite possible, Woodbury said.

“If it goes up, it’s an increase,” Niebel said. He noted that OBSERVER articles have previously quoted Woodbury on the subject.

Woodbury said he shouldn’t have stated it was going to be an increase, in the city of Dunkirk meetings referred to in the articles. “I don’t know for sure that it will be a rate increase. The trends are that way,” he said.

Woodbury said, as he has before, that “the price of chemicals is through the roof.” In addition, some of them come from Canada so will be hit by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, he added.

Concluding his statements on the issue at Thursday’s meeting, Woodbury said his intention is to continue to make high-quality water for the district, under the 40-year contract the city of Dunkirk has with it to exclusively provide its water.