Tidioute residents have been without water since the middle of March.

Tidioute residents are well aware of water troubles. Since March 18, the borough has been under a boil-water order.

Making matters worse, the Southwest Warren County Municipal Authority is not optimistic about when users can start drinking from the fountains again. In its latest notice, they expected the problem to be resolved by June 1.

That’s 36 days away!

For some in the New York-Pennsylvania region, water issues are dumbfounding. We’re not in a desert — as there is a proximity to many streams, rivers and a Great Lake in Erie.

To the north, a similar problem exists in the village of Fredonia near Interstate 90. There, emotions overflow on a regular basis when it comes to water in Fredonia. In recent years, an immediacy caused by 10 boil orders over the last 38 months has led current Village Board members to look to a connection with the North County Water District as a solution.

That does not sit well with a group aiming to keep tradition and independence. A vocal “Save Our Reservoir” faction continues to show up consistently for weekly meetings and some of the workshop sessions making the point that repairing the current system would be best — and bring savings in the long term.

In the middle of all this is the Chautauqua County Health Department, which has been vigilant in reminding village leaders of deficiencies facing the antiquated and land-locked plant that was state-of-the art when it was built in 1888. Its nearly one and a half century run is impressive, but filled with future inadequacies.

“The general condition of the water treatment plant is not good,” said Natalie Whiteman, water resource specialist with the Chautauqua County Health Department in 2024. During that community forum when she spoke at the Fredonia Opera House, Whiteman also noted the location has cracked walls, unclear labeling and the plant is limited in expansion capability.

Where do we go from here?

Last week, the Village Board approved contracting with LaBella Associates for $2.7 million as a step to buy water from an outside source and shut down its own plant and reservoir. During the meeting, reservoir supporters were vocal and adamant that this group of elected officials is not considering all the consequences in making this decision. At the same time, no one was there from the community to speak favorably regarding the action.

As a matter of record, this current group of elected Village Board members inherited the frittering and decades-long dilemma that has been the water treatment plant. At one time, the operation was a cash cow to the entity. It drove village financial reserves — and helped cover other shortfalls of the municipality that presently serves around 9,200 residents and a state university.

Those revenues were driven by Carriage House, the former Red Wing food processing facility. While it was running — through 2015 — it was the village’s most prominent customer. Once company officials decided to walk away from the area, due in part to unreliable water, those remaining businesses and residents tied to the system have seen gradual increases with more on the way when it comes to the quarterly bills.

In a sense, the water issue has been exhausting for Fredonia. It is a punch in the gut every time a new boil order is announced. It is embarrassing to community leaders who are trying to find a solution that could spur future development. It is an albatross for a struggling campus that in March welcomed 1,000 prospective students and guests for an open house in the middle of another water emergency.

Trustees, for all intents and purposes, are beyond frustrated in dealing with this complexity. Fixing the water is by far the most important issue in the village.

It is not any different in Tidioute. For a community that has been without drinking water for more than five weeks, that is no longer an inconvenience. It is a crisis.

John D’Agostino is editor of the Times Observer, The Post-Journal and OBSERVER in Dunkirk. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.