The Arab Water Works will consider removing fluoride from the water. That’s after the board won a legal battle in Alabama’s Supreme Court after the city filed suit demanding fluoride stay in the water supply.

It was a blistering defeat for the city of Arab as all eight justices voted in favor of the water board.

The board’s president has indicated they may be seeking the city to pay their nearly $300,000 legal bill.

The Arab Water Works board will meet Tuesday night to decide if they want to remove fluoride from their water supply.

The board voted in September 2015 to remove fluoride.

The city stepped in and asked a local judge to order the board to reinstate fluoride in the water supply, citing dental health benefits, and the judge agreed.

But after the water board appealed, the appellate courts have agreed with the water board.

One resident said she plans to be at the board meeting Tuesday to urge them to remove fluoride because it causes her health problems.

“Where there’s people saying that it’s harming them, then their first priority should be to no longer do us harm, and that’s to stop adding the artificial chemical fluoride to our water,” said Melissa Thrower, who is opposed to putting fluoride in the water supply.

Mayor Bob Joslin declined comment.

The water board meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Arab Water Board Chairman Ben Hornsby said in a statement:

The unanimous decision of 8 – 0 from the Alabama Supreme Court validated our understanding of Alabama law pertaining to this case as researched by our board attorney prior to the decision being made. Alabama law is well established and has been settled for several decades and to that extent this lawsuit by the City of Arab was ill-advised and should never have been filed. As for the legal expenses the Arab Water Works Board repeatedly asked the City of Arab for a “stand still” on conduction of the Circuit Court case while we were awaiting the Alabama Supreme Court judgement of our appeal, but each request was denied by the City of Arab.

• Original article online at http://www.waff.com/story/35007813/arab-water-board-to-decide-fluoride-issue-tuesday

• See also, Alabama city can remove fluoride from drinking water, court rules, Dec 23, 2016

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