Fluoridation of drinking water back on at Pockwock Lake
Fluoride units had been offline since May 2023, still no estimated repair time for Lake Major
Halifax Water says the fluoridation of drinking water at its Pockwock Lake facility has resumed after an interruption of more than a year.
Fluoride units at Pockwock Lake had been offline since May 2023, but the water utility announced in a news release Thursday the repair work at the J. Douglas Kline water supply plant has been completed.
Fluoridation at Lake Major is still offline and has been offline since April 2020. Halifax Water said it is "evaluating options for adding fluoride back into the system at Lake Major."
Those options range from "standalone renovations to accommodate additional tanks to solutions that are added to the much larger water supply enhancement projects planned for the water treatment plant over the next five to 10 years."
Halifax Water noted the timing of restoration of the fluoride system at Lake Major may be sooner.
The water utility was criticized last month by the president of the Nova Scotia Dental Association and Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health — who both strongly support the use of fluoride in drinking water — for not telling customers about the fluoridation interruption. Halifax Water later acknowledged it should have communicated the information sooner.
The public became aware that Halifax Water had stopped fluoridation at Pockwock Lake and Lake Major only after New Glasgow announced it would stop adding fluoride to its water supply.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that can help protect teeth from cavities.
On its website, the provincial Environment Department said fluoridation of drinking water supplies is "a well-accepted measure to protect public health and is strongly supported by scientific evidence."
Halifax Water has added fluoride at some of its water supply plants since the mid-1950s.
The utility told CBC News its six smaller treatment plants — Bennery Lake, Five Islands, Bomont, Middle Musquodoboit, Collins Park and Silver Sands — have never included fluoride in the treatment process. Those smaller plants serve a total of fewer than 300 residential customers in Halifax Regional Municipality.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
