The newly-established Central Alabama Water authority is claiming most customers have not had fluoride added to their drinking water supply for at least two years. The surprise announcement came Tuesday, on the heels of plans for a system-wide discontinuation of fluoride set to begin on April 1st. In a written statement, CAW said only the Shades Mountain water filtration plant has continued the fluoridation process since 2023.
The Central Alabama Water board announcement yesterday that it voted to stop adding fluoride to the utility's drinking water supply.The controversial decision will impact more than 770-thousand customers across five counties in central Alabama, including Jefferson, Shelby and St. Clair.Supporters claim the removal of fluoride will save CAW millions of dollars in maintenance and infrastructure upgrades.Opponents argue it will lead to increased tooth decay.
In related news, APR reported how a federal judge in Birmingham is being asked to block recent actions taken by the newly-created Central Alabama Water authority.A lawsuit filed by former board members William Muhammad and Brenda Lewis, seeks a temporary restraining order against CAW and CEO Jeffrey Thompson, after 135 employees were laid off last week.In addition the suit asks for a reversal of a recent decision to transfer additional powers from the board to Thompson.U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco has given Central Alabama Water until March 27th to respond to the complaints.
And, a new audit of the newly-created water board also points to long term problems. The study says more than half of the treated water system is not being billed to customers. It attributed the losses between the year two thousand and twenty twenty four on aging infrastructure and faulty billing practices. Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill moving control of the board from Birmingham to its suburbs. The global bond rating agency Standard and Poor's lowered the borrowing rate for the newly-created Central Alabama Water system.
