News Archive

Excerpt: Expenses will be reduced by approximately $13,000 in FY 14 because some of the assets have been fully depreciated. Fluoride is no longer added to the water, which is expected to reduce expenses another $2,000. Pdf of Status Report

Although several Tennessee cities have voted to discontinue the adding of fluoride to their municipal water systems, the Duck River Utility Commission (DRUC) has no plans to stop using the chemical known to benefit oral health. Randal Braker, manager of DRUC, which supplies water to Tullahoma, Manchester and surrounding areas, said he has yet to […]

Columbia City Council member Mike Greene grew up in a rural area drinking well water without fluoride, and he still has all his teeth. His parents, who drank the same water, have their teeth, and his siblings have theirs. “Everybody can afford to take care of their teeth,” Greene said. “… I grew up in […]

Officials in charge of voting to keep or remove fluoride from Columbia’s water showed no sway toward one direction or the other at a meeting Wednesday. For the first 20 minutes of the meeting, the Columbia Power and Water Systems Board of Public Utilities allowed attendees to voice their opinions on fluoridation. Chairman John Collier […]

Water is for everyone. Fluoride is not. Fluoridation chemicals are added to 70 percent of U.S. public drinking water supplies to aid in the prevention of cavities. This benefit is dubious at best, as there is practically no difference in tooth decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated countries or U.S. states. While fluoride in drinking […]

In the past five years, a Lewisburg dentist has seen a 70-80 percent increase in cavities and has performed at least three mouth extractions on children under the age of five, pulling out all of their teeth and replacing them with new ones. Dr. Dennis Sigman said he knows the main reason for the increase […]

Opponents of fluoridation say utility customers’ approval of adding the substance to their water will not dampen their zeal to remove it. “We will continue,” said Linda King of Citizens for Blount County’s Future, “until the board gives us proof that it does not harm people and will take liability if it does.” … The […]

The South Blount County Utility District  Board of Commissioners is leaving the current policy of fluoridating the utility’s water in place. Meeting on Tuesday, commissioners heard comments in both support and opposition of fluoridation and discussed the results of a customer survey about the practice. In the end, the board declined to take any action […]

A bare majority of South Blount County Utility District customers have voted in favor of continuing fluoridation of their water. “Just barely,” District Manager Henry Durant said on Friday. “It was like 51 percent to 49 percent. I think the fluoride was ahead by 84 votes (out of about 4,679).” Four years after a controversial […]