USA - Water fluoridation in Somers, part of Yorktown to end temporarily

Starting Friday, water supplied to residents of Somers and part of Yorktown will no longer have fluoride added to it, the Northern Westchester Joint Waterworks announced.

That's expected to last for much of this year, while the Amawalk water treatment plant, on Route 35 in Yorktown, undergoes modifications and the Catskills treatment plant gets a new system for putting fluoride in.

Construction is slated to begin in July or August. Once the work is completed, the plants will resume adding fluoride.

"Fluoride is something that the public health department advocates for," said Matthew Geho, of Northern Westchester Joint Waterworks.

Communities that have fluoride added to water have done so for what some say are its benefits in reducing tooth decay, said Adam Smith, Somers' water superintendent.

Smith said a mailing is going out to notify customers that fluoride will not be added; they will also be notified when adding of fluoride resumes.