USA - CFPUA temporarily stops adding fluoride to water at treatment plant

KLTV.com - Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville |ETX News

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) -

Fluoride will no longer be added to drinking water treated at the Richardson Nano Groundwater Treatment Plant in New Hanover County until an investigation into why levels of the chemical spiked on Wednesday is complete.

According to CFPUA officials, a "do not drink" alert was issued after crews discovered fluoride levels at the plant were at 8 mg/L, which is twice the EPA’s upper legal limit and more than 10 times the recommended level of 0.7 mg/L set by the U.S. Public Health Service.

The "do not drink" alert and a subsequent boil water advisory have been lifted and the water is now safe to drink.

Frank Styers, chief operations officer of CFPUA, said in a phone call Thursday that he is conducting a “deep-dive” investigation into what caused the water treatment plant to overfeed fluoride, which is normally added to prevent tooth decay in the community.

“We have disabled some equipment,” said Styers. “We have a pretty good idea of what caused it, but the investigation is ongoing.”................................