A meeting for Bedford County residents interested in getting fluoride back into the county’s water supply is being rescheduled.

The meeting was scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 18 at The Neighbor’s Place restaurant, 104 Paulette Circle in Lynchburg. The meeting was organized by dentist Annie Libbey, who owns Libbey Family Dentistry in Forest; Jeanette Bowman, community water fluoridation coordinator for the Virginia Department of Health in Richmond; and Dr. Kerry Gateley, health director for the Virginia Department of Health in Lynchburg.

“We had a scheduling conflict and we can’t get together on Sept. 18,” Libbey said.

In Feb. 2017, the Bedford Regional Water Authority (BRWA) ended its fluoridation process. Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply. Prior to 2017, Bedford’s central water system was treated 0.70 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.

“It is an easy and inexpensive way to help the population,” Libbey said. “About 90 percent of water sources have some type of natural source of fluoride so it’s not something that is new or harmful being introduced into the water.”

Libbey said the group plans to schedule another meeting soon.

“We still want to get together with the community and have this discussion,” she said. “I think this is an important issue and I hope we can reschedule this meeting soon.”

*Original article online at https://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/fluoride-meeting-for-bedford-county-residents-being-rescheduled/article_1b818813-0ad9-5d19-bd65-f01d26e2865f.html

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