BARWON Water has called for tenders for the construction of fluoride dosing plants for Geelong’s water supply, with work scheduled to start in December

The tenders call for the construction of tilt slab concrete buildings at the Wurdee Boluc and Moorabool water treatment plants, to the west and east of Geelong

Barwon Water yesterday referred the issue to the Department of Human Services, which has undertaken to fluoridate all tap water in the state.

A department spokesman said that from their perspective the sooner all the state’s water was fluoridated the better because of the dental health benefits.

Geelong’s water supply is likely to be fluoridated by the middle of next year, but the actual timing and the tender process is a matter for Barwon Water.

Warrnambool’s water supply was fluoridated late last month with barely a ripple, with years of protests by locals seemingly coming to nothing.

Castlemaine’s water supply was fluoridated earlier this year, while Ballarat is at a similar stage to Geelong.

The Barwon Association for Freedom from Fluoridation‘s David McRae said yesterday that his group was still seeking legal opinion, and has asked the department for detailed background information to back its decision.

“The department has failed to provide any of that and they haven’t done any of the safety testing and testing of how much fluoride people have already in their bodies,” Mr McRae said.

“They haven’t done any testing on how much peole are absorbing from the heavy industry fluoride pollution in Geelong.

“So BAFF doesn’t yet know if a legal case will be brought against the department.”

Long time anti-fluoride campaigner Peter Linaker said yesterday the whole exercise had flown in the face of democracy.

“The whole business is to put down the public, to evade them on every turn, because the law is against them,” Mr Linaker said.

“We just don’t realise what has turned against us – none of us realised that the rihts of the public have been taken away, and that’s why we are being run around from pillar to post all the time.”

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