VERNON TOWNSHIP — Officials at Meadville Area Water Authority on Tuesday tested the system that will soon fluoridate the water supplied to the authority’s customers.

Construction of the equipment is complete, according to MAWA consulting engineer Tom Thompson, but fluoridation will not begin for another month or two.

“It is just testing of the equipment,” Thompson said of the activity on Tuesday.

The testing was routine, according to project manager Bob Harrington.

“We’re just making sure all the equipment works — calibrating everything,” Harrington said.

Konzel Construction, the contractor performing the addition, has installed exterior feed lines, sealed and painted the walls of the room that houses the equipment, and installed fluoride analyzers, finishing the project over the past week, according to Thompson.

The authority has also prepared the completion certificate necessary for final permitting of the fluoridation equipment, according to Thompson.

Actual fluoridation cannot begin until the system passes inspection by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP will then issue MAWA a permit allowing fluoridation to begin.

The timing of the final inspection depends on DEP scheduling, Thompson told MAWA board members in January, but would likely come in April or May.

*Original article online at https://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/water-authority-tests-fluoride-equipment-launch-could-be-next-month/article_3874e672-4a8d-11e9-9a62-57e01c9e129a.html

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