Paul Luce got a surprise Monday.
It was Fredonia Mayor Athanasia Landis. She was on Luce's doorstep to let him know she was about to take action on the dirty water delivered to his home by the village water system.
This move was in response to a 2 On-Your-Side investigation into multiple problems with Fredonia's water service. Most obvious is the discolored water in an estimate 40-45 homes in the northern portion of the village.
Our story showed that even after passing through a filtering system installed in Luce's home, the water coming from the tap often had lots of rust-colored particles in it.
After conferring with state and Chautauqua County officials, Landis tells 2 On-Your-Side Tuesday, she decided to declare water quality emergencies on six streets. Luce's street, James Place is included on the list. (See the picture for details.)
The emergency status opens the door for the village to apply for a loan from state government to address the water quality issue.
"If everything goes the way it's supposed to, we can expect to start working, actually put shovels in the ground in the next four to five months," said Landis.
For Luce, who's been dealing with dirty water for years, waiting another few months is progress, "It's kind of ironic. They've known about this problem for years but it took your story on Channel 2 to get any action."