ALBION – The Village of Albion Water Plant expects to start adding fluoride to the public water supply in February after about a 2 ½-year hiatus.

The village hasn’t added fluoride to the water since the summer of 2021. The village kept fluoridation chemicals in the water plant, but plant chief operator Adam Rush said it was a subpar setup.

The village will soon have a new 14-by-14-foot concrete building ready that will be used to store the fluoride. Keeler Construction was general contractor for that project which is nearly done. Rush told the Village Board on Wednesday there are a few “punch list” items to finish.

Keeler Construction submitted the low bid of $388,000 for the project, which included structural, architectural, mechanical (HVAC and plumbing) and electrical components and systems.

The building was funded with a $312,000 grant from the state Department of Health, with the other $76,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Rush wanted the fluoridation chemicals to be in a separate space and not in the water plant. The space in the water plant where the fluoride was kept is now used for the biomass heating system including a pellet boiler.

The American Dental Association backs having fluoride in water because fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by rebuild and strengthening the tooth’s surface or enamel.

The village water plant produces about 1.5 millions gallons of water of day, mostly for the central Orleans towns of Carlton, Gaines, Albion and Barre, as well as the village of Albion.

*Original full-text article online at: https://orleanshub.com/albion-will-add-fluoride-to-water-again-in-february/

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