Mount Gambier is expected to have fluoridated water by Christmas, as the city’s pumping station comes back on-line.

The city has been supplied with water from bores for the last week after a power supply problem cut-off the Blue Lake supply.

“What was involved was having to remove circuit breakers and send them interstate for repairs and then get them flown back to Mount Gambier as soon as possible so that we could return them to service and start back on the Blue Lake again,” said SA Water’s service delivery manager Janina Morrison.

The repair occurred much more quickly than expected with Blue Lake water flowing to the city once again from Friday.

Anti-fluoride campaigners weren’t disappointed with the outage as it stopped work on commissioning the city’s new fluoridation plant.

Construction of the plant is finished and it’s in the process of coming on-line.

“We’re going to sit down with the contractors this week, go over the plan and we’ll be ready to start commissioning this week again,” Ms Morrison says.

She confirmed to ABC Radio today that it’s likely fluoride will start being added to the local water supply by Christmas, although locals have probably already had a dose in the last few days.

“There is naturally occuring fluoride in the bores of course,” Ms Morrison says.

As the fluoride plant begins to switch into action, there are still efforts being carried out to stop the fluoridation from occurring.

Legislative Council member Anne Bressington is continuing to call for the practice of “forced fluoridation” to end, after telling State Parliament this year that there’s evidence that fluoridation can have a negative impact on some people’s health.

Ms Bressington has sided with local residents who say fluoridation removes their choice of whether to consume fluoride or not.

It follows action by the protest group, Choice Mount Gambier, which collected 11 thousand signatures on petitions calling for Mount Gambier’s residents to have a vote on whether to consume fluoride or not.

A member of Choice, Alex Young, also chained himself to the gates of the Blue Lake to halt construction of the fluoride plant.

Despite SA Water still carrying out the State Government’s request to begin fluoridation, Ms Bressington’s office has confirmed the issue still being pursued in the halls of State Parliament.

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