Cobar Shire has temporarily turned off the fluoride tap in the town’s water supply, and acting General Manager Kylie Smith says locals should not fret.
The water has been without the additive since 25 July due to a technical issue in the fluoride dosing unit.
Ms Smith said the additive in the towns water supply is predominantly used to prevent poor dental hygiene, and should not affect residents too much.
Fluoride is added in the towns water supply to protect residents from poor oral hygiene issues, such as cavities.
She is asking Cobar residents to take extra care with their daily dental routines until the technical issues are fixed.
“There is no reason to stress.”
The council plans to fix the ghosting unit’s technical issue in the coming months.
Works are expected to be completed by October 2026.
Ms Smith said the council will reach into their regular-maintenance funding pockets to finance the work, and she expects it to cost around $10,000 to $12,000.
Cobar Shire residents are no stranger to having fluoride-free water.
The town’s water supply went without the additive between 2019 and 2024 while the new water filtration system was under construction.
“To my knowledge there have been no other issues with the new system,” Ms Smith said.
“It’s been fabulous.”
She said with around two months of fluoride-free water, she is encouraging residents to pay extra attention to their dental health.
Original article online at: https://westernplainsapp.com.au/NewsStory/cobar-briefly-turns-tap-off-to-fluoride/6a7149910d6877002dff2b44