Dunkirk Water Tower Returns to Service as Council Approves $35,448 for Filter Repairs

From the Dunkirk Board of Works and City Council meetings on August 10, 2026

Dunkirk's water tower is back in full service after the completion of a painting project, and the city council has approved $35,448 to replace degraded filtration media in two water treatment softener tanks.

The mayor announced the water tower painting is complete. Residents may experience occasional discolored water as the system normalizes, but "everything's running fine."

Council Member Jesse reported that the filtration media inside the city's softener tanks — described as "black and white coal" used for filtering — has degraded to the point of ineffectiveness and needs replacement. The council unanimously approved a contract with Puralist Midwest at $17,724 per unit for two units, covering labor and materials.

The city's Hartford City Water Department will remove the existing media using the city's vac truck, saving on labor costs. Jesse noted the city is "getting our money back out of our vac truck."

The two units cannot be replaced simultaneously. One will be taken offline, replaced, and brought back online before work begins on the second unit approximately two weeks later. During each changeover, the water tower will serve as the sole supply for about a day.

Source: Meeting transcript — Board of Works and City Council, City of Dunkirk, August 10, 2026

Some information may be inaccurate due to video audio quality.