Central Alabama Water to stop adding fluoride to drinking water

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) — Officials with Central Alabama Water (CAW) announced Friday they will no longer be adding fluoride to its drinking water.

The change, according to officials, only impacts the additional fluoride CAW has added at its treatment plants and doesn’t change any other aspect of their water treatment process.

Adding fluoride has always been optional, according to CAW. They say the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nor the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) require utilities to add fluoride. Instead, they only require systems not to exceed the EPA’s maximum levels for fluoride in drinking water.

“While we acknowledge there are strong opinions about fluoride in drinking water, this decision is based on our operational, safety and financial needs,” CEO Jeffrey F. Thompson said. “This change reduces chemical handling risks for our employees, eliminates the use of aging equipment and allows us to focus resources on delivering safe, reliable and exceptionally high-quality drinking water.”

According to officials, fluoridation of drinking water involves the handling, storage, and metering of a hazardous and highly corrosive industrial-grade chemical. They say ending the addition of fluoride reduces potential chemical exposure for employees and reduces the likelihood of accidental chemical spills.

CAW also says the fluoridation systems at their water treatment plants are near the end of their useful life cycle and would eventually require replacement at a cost of nearly $4 million and will remove recurring maintenance costs of more than $250,000 per year.

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