A Madison city councilor said Monday that the water utility’s decision to stop adding fluoride to drinking water might not be final.
That’s despite the board of Madison Utilities voting unanimously in March to stop adding the chemical treatment to drinking water that goes to customers in the city, along with parts of Limestone and Madison counties, including Clift Farm.
David Moore, water manager for Madison Utilities, told councilors that the move, which will take effect June 16, was not made lightly.
The decision, “was made based upon structural problems, degradation, it was made on employee health concerns,” he said.
Inspectors at a Madison treatment plant found what Moore described as “very heavy, costly damage” due to corrosion from fluoridation.
“The cost came in at just shy of half-a-million dollars to upgrade the facility with the correct things needed,” he said. “Based upon other states banning fluoride and other systems across north Alabama discontinuing the use of fluoride chemicals, the board made the decision unanimously to discontinue fluoridation.”
Moore said Russellville and Arab have stopped adding fluoride to their drinking water systems.
U.S. public health officials have recommended since the 1960s that public water supplies contain fluoride to help prevent tooth decay. It is now used in the public drinking water supplied to about 3 out of 4 Americans, according to the American Cancer Society website.
Madison’s drinking water has had fluoride added since 1991, AL.com has reported.
City Councilor Connie Spears sits on the Madison Utilities board as the council’s representative. The city, though, has no direct control over the utility.
Spears was not present Monday, as she, Mayor Paul Finley and Council President John Seifert were traveling on city business.
Water board minutes show no members of the public were in attendance at the March 17 meeting.
Moore faced pointed questions from Madison city councilors Monday about the board’s decision, particularly from Councilor Ranae Bartlett.
“After the MU board decision — upon your recommendation — who did you inform at the city of Madison about this decision?” she asked Moore.
“Miss Spears,” he replied.
“Well, she was there, but I’m talking about, mayor’s office, city council, city administrator – did anybody know that y’all had done that?” Bartlett asked.
“No ma’am, we didn’t inform anybody,” Moore said.
Bartlett told attendees that Spears, “has asked us to share, after you’ve heard the presentation tonight … if a number of people contact her, she will ask the board to reconsider the decision, and she is empowered to do that.”
Madison Utilities also sells wholesale water to Huntsville and to Harvest.
A Huntsville city ordinance requires fluoride be added to its drinking water. It was not immediately clear whether unfluoridated water bought from Madison Utilities would run afoul of that, or would require an additional treatment process.
About two dozen attendees rose to comment Monday, with most calling out Madison Utilities’ decision-making process. Among them was Tim Holcomb of Madison, a former two-term city councilor who had been liaison to the water board.
“My biggest issue is the way it was done,” he said. “No public input, nobody knew anything about it … this is the most egregious decision just out of nowhere, that I can think of.”
The next scheduled meeting of the Madison Utilities board of directors is scheduled for May 5, at 5:30 p.m. at 101 Ray Sanderson Drive.
Original article online at: https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2025/04/fluoride-out-of-madisons-water-maybe-not-councilor-says.html