Within the next few weeks or months, the water coming out of taps in the city of Buffalo will once again have fluoride in it.
Recently, a diver went into the river near the Colonel Ward Pumping Station to begin the process of preparing the city’s water system to once again be fluoridated. The diver completed a disinfection process and installed a flow meter into a 90” treated water conduit, which will “measure the treated water flow rates and help determine the proper amount of added fluoride during treatment,” the city said.
Oluwole “OJ” McFoy, chair of Buffalo Water, called the installation of the flow meter “a significant step forward in construction for new system upgrades at Buffalo Water’s filtration plant. We are grateful for our partnerships with local marine experts who understand the importance of this portion of construction and can use their diving skills to assist. This project has been an all-hands-on-deck mission so Buffalo Water can meet the end-of-summer deadline.”
In order to fluoridate the water supply again, Buffalo Water also is installing electrical equipment, conduit, and wire for new equipment and panels in addition to upgrading other parts of the water system. “Since obtaining state approval to proceed with new system upgrades earlier this year, Buffalo Water has collaborated with city, county, and state regulators, consultants, contractors and vendors to complete construction successfully and on time,” the city states.
The city next needs to complete the installation of a fluoride analyzer and metering pumps before programming is completed and the new system can be tested, with work continuing into August in order to have fluoride back in Buffalo City Water by the end of the summer.
The city’s water system has been without fluoride for nearly a decade but never notified residents of the change, resulting in several lawsuits filed against local authorities. The lack of fluoride didn’t come to light until last year when the Buffalo News reported on it; at the time, Mayor Byron Brown said the treatment that is known to help prevent cavities and strengthen teeth would be back in the water supply by 2023, but Buffalo Water did not get approval for the new system from the New York State Department of Health until January. Dentists have said the lack of fluoride has created a health inequity for children in the city who don’t get the same dental health benefits available to suburban and rural children, as fluoride is commonly used in public water systems across the country.
Original article online at: https://wbuf.com/ixp/1149/p/fluoride-treatments-on-track-to-return-to-buffalo-water/