Beginning early next month, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) will temporarily shut down the system that supplies fluoride to water in order to replace portions of the system’s equipment.
According to the MWRA water supply report for December 2022, the most recent report publicly available, metro systems in Lynnfield, Marblehead, Nahant, Saugus, and Swampscott were fully-served by the authority. Metro systems in Lynn and Peabody were partially served by the authority that month according to the report.
Fluoride has been added to drinking water in the region since the 1970s, on the recommendation of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in an effort to reduce tooth decay and promote community public health. But the shutdown, which will last three months, shouldn’t pose any significant risk to dental health and “will not require any special action by consumers,” the authority wrote in a statement.
The statement added that the authority also consulted with the Department of Public Health’s Oral Health Office and the Department of Environmental Protection, both of which approved the temporary fluoride shutdown.
Drinking water from the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs is treated by the authority at the John J. Carroll Treatment Plant in Marlborough. Water is treated with both ozone and ultraviolet light for disinfection, in addition to fluoride.
The water’s pH is also adjusted to make it less corrosive and less likely to leach lead from home plumbing, the statement said.
If you have any concerns, check with your dental care provider. For more information on your drinking water, please visit www.mwra.com or call MWRA at 617-242-7283.
