City of Sheridan and Sheridan Area Water Supply customers will be receiving notice with this month’s utility bill that the fluoridation of the Big Goose and Sheridan Water Treatment Plants will begin in early January.

In 2010, the City Council made the decision to implement fluoride while the conventional upgrades were being performed to both treatment plants. The upgrades were an unfunded mandate by the Environmental Protection Agency to safeguard against cryptosporidium and giardia.

City Public Works Director Nic Bateson said that no more than 7 tenths of a milligram per gallon of fluoride will be put into the water.

The group, Clean Water Sheridan has used social media and various community functions to garner over 2,000 signatures opposing the fluoridation.

During the months leading up to the General Election in November, the fluoride issue garnered a lot of attention during a number of candidate forums held in Sheridan. Candidates running for City Council were consistently peppered with questions regarding their thoughts on adding fluoride to the water.