OVIEDO, Fla. – Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek is asking Floridians to participate in a survey asking whether they support the banning of fluoride from drinking water.
The survey states anonymous results will not be counted and instead asks that respondents match their feedback to their voter record in order for local representatives to see what their constituents are thinking.
Thursday, the city issued a statement on social media to inform residents it could cost in excess of $300,000 to replace failing equipment that’s used to add fluoride to the water at the West Mitchell Hammock Water Treatment Plant. The issues prompted the city to halt fluoride addition around the end of 2023, restart it in July 2024 and halt it again that September, the post states, adding there was not a public safety issue at any time, the Florida Department of Health was notified and no permit violation occurred.
The Fluoride analyzers at the (West Mitchell Hammock Water Treatment Plant) became increasingly problematic to dose Fluoride accurately in December 2023. The lead operator at the facility had stated that the analyzers in place are not holding addition rate adjustments for an extended period of time, even after calibration. These analyzers are serviced by the analyzer manufacturer (Hach) and preventative maintenance under this contract is performed every six months. The operator had been working with Hach to help trouble shoot and identify the root cause of the presented concerns but due to the current Fluoride analyzer being an older model, parts are not always readily available. The Hach technician has replaced parts and recalibrated these analyzers but after a short period of time the analyzers were providing inaccurate readings once again. The operators continued making calls and seeking support from the Hach technician to resolve the issue.
Having a Fluoride analyzer out of service is not considered an emergency situation because it does not impact Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) permit compliance or public water safety. The analyzer can be placed out of service until a technician is scheduled to arrive to troubleshoot issues identified. The pause in feeding Fluoride does not cause a FDEP permit compliance issue, however, the City did report a non-optimal feed to the Department of Health as required. The long-time delay trying to fix the equipment is a combination of an extended maintenance schedule scheduling a service technician.
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Feeding Fluoride with analyzers that fail to hold calibration could lead to a fluoride over feed of the water system. Due to the dangers of a potential accidental overfeed, it was determined that the Fluoride system would be temporarily paused due to the necessary diligence to protect the water system.
Research for a new updated Fluoride analyzer has been initiated. Once a more reliable and dependable new Fluoride analyzer can be identified staff will move forward with replacement of the analyzers and feed system components should the decision be made to continue Fluoride addition. Staff has reached out and inquired about the new Hach Fluoride analyzers and received quotes for replacements. Due to the current equipment being obsolete, a total replacement of the feed system and its components is the best option to continue with the addition of Fluoride to the water system safely.
City of Oviedo - City Administration's post on Facebook - 9:29 a.m. Feb. 27 (excerpts)
If the city ends up deciding to do away with fluoride in its drinking water altogether, all it would need to do is notify the Florida Department of Environmental Protection via letter in order to avoid modifying the operational permit or providing additional sampling, according to the post.
Such a decision would make Oviedo only the latest Florida city to end the addition of fluoride to its drinking water, as has been recently voted on in Longwood, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Tavares and Leesburg.
Access the survey by clicking here.
