FORT SMITH (KFSM)-- On Monday (Mar. 7), the city of Fort Smith started pumping fluoride into the water supply.
The ingredient was added to the Lee Creek and Lake Fort Smith Water Treatment Plants. Those plants supply water to the city and surrounding area.
Lance McAvoy, the deputy director of operation for the Fort Smith utility department, said even though fluoridation has been voted down twice in the past for the city, in the 70s and 90s, the state is requiring it now.
“A couple years back the state legislature passed a law stating that any municipality or utility department that provides drinking water for a population greater than 5,000 must fluoridate their water,” McAvoy said.
McAvoy said studies have shown that adding fluoride to drinking water helped prevent tooth decay in children.
Bob Mason was a dentist for more than 30 years and is now part of the Delta Dental Foundation.
"It's such an exciting day to know the future, he said. "I have grandchildren that live in Fort Smith, and so it's exciting to know that those children now are going to have some fluoridation in their water to help protect their teeth."
Some citizens agree with the decision.
“I grew up in Conway where we always had fluoride in the water, and I never had cavities,” Valerie Kelley Hayes said on Facebook. “Fort Smith is way behind the times, finally catching up.”
However, others are not convinced of the benefits.
"I personally would've rather they not put it in," Steve Radar said.
“This is the reason I buy bottled water,” Lynn Burton said on Facebook. “I don't want fluoride in my drinking water! Not only that, I don't put much trust in treatment facilities.”
McAvoy added that the money for the addition is not coming from taxpayers. Delta Dental is behind the $2 million grant given to the city.
“The funding for construction of the equipment and supplies needed could not be financed through tax increase or rate increase,” McAvoy said.
Even though the fluoride was added on Monday, project engineers say it could take between 24 hours and a week to reach your faucet.
Fluoride is now being fed into the system at 0.7 milligrams per liter.
"We have those approvals from the CDC, from the American Dental Association from lots and lots of health organizations out there that speak to the safety of fluoride at these levels," Mason said.
McAvoy added that there are filters you can buy if you want to remove the fluoride from the water.
