The tap has been shut off since August, when the city’s water was contaminated and a boil order was put into effect.

BRAINERD — More than 40 years after Brainerd lost the legal battle against fluoridating the city’s water supply, the issue is again bringing up strong emotions.

City Council members plan to send a letter to Brainerd Public Utilities asking them not to move forward with the possibility of shutting off the city’s last non-fluoridated water tap.

“I personally know there’s a lot of people that use that faucet and fill their water jugs with unfluoridated water,” council member Jeff Czeczok said during the council’s meeting Oct. 2. “… I think there may be a little bit of a concern that if it’s gone, they won’t be able to access unfluoridated water any longer.”

The tap remains the last remnants of a bitter battle fought for many years , ending with a decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court and an unsuccessful appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Brainerd’s water officially became fluoridated at 11 a.m. Feb. 7, 1980, but the one tap at the wastewater treatment plant continued to supply non-fluoridated well water to anti-fluoride proponents — until recently.

The tap was shut off in August, when the city came under a boil order because the water was contaminated with total coliform bacteria, BPU Superintendent Todd Wicklund said during a phone interview Monday, Oct. 9. Its future has since been a topic of discussion among BPU Commission members, who are faced with several options moving forward as the city’s future with chlorinated water is still uncertain.

The water has been chlorinated since the contamination was discovered, but commissioners have yet to decide on a permanent solution for the future.

While one option is shutting the tap off permanently — as it is treated with neither fluoride nor chlorine — Wicklund said there are other options as well, such as regular testing of the water from the tap or some sort of sign with clear language near the tap stating the city is not liable for any illnesses that might result from drinking the untreated water. The option for testing the water on a regular basis would come at a cost to BPU, but Wicklund said staff will work with whatever the commission ultimately decides.

“It hasn’t been set in stone any which direction at this time, other than it is off right now,” Wicklund said, noting he knows people come from at least 30 miles to fill up with non-fluoridated water from the tap.

City Council members agreed on a 5-1 vote Oct. 2 to send a letter to the BPU Commission requesting the tap stay on.

For council member Gabe Johnson, the tap has historical significance.

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