The village of Dexter apparently won’t be adding fluoride to its municipal water supply.

A memo recommending against it from Village Manager Donna Dettling was accepted without comment Monday night by the village council. The memo accompanied a report from consulting firm Orchard, Hiltz and McCliment, which had been hired to investigate the costs of adding a fluoridation system.

The estimated initial capital cost was $79,000 for new equipment and installation, a special storage building and engineering fees according to the report.

Yearly chemical costs were estimated at about $6,000 based on the village’s current usage of 1.2 million gallons per day. Those costs would increase to about $9,100 when a fifth well is added to the system and a second fluoride system would be needed for the new well.

Neither Dettling nor Ed Lobdell, superintendent of public services, thought there was “enough evidence to recommend fluoridation,” according the village manager’s memo.

The village hired the consulting firm to check into the costs after a local dentist complained about the lack of fluoride in the water.

Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Manchester, Saline, Jackson, Brighton and Howell are among the area communities that add fluoride to the water supply, according to the consultant’s report.

The consultant’s report noted that “Dexter appears to be the largest community water source in the county that does not add fluoride to its system.”

The system serves about 3,055 people.

“We’re not the only folks out there not using fluoridation,” Dettling said, adding, “There’s no groundswell to add fluoride to the water.”

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