Windsor, Tecumseh and LaSalle will have fluoride reintroduced in the water system this week.
ENWIN Utilities Ltd. announced on behalf of The Board of Commissioners of the Windsor Utilities Commission on Monday that it will reintroduce fluoride into the local drinking water systems for those communities effective Wednesday, January 12.
A release from ENWIN states the fluoride implementation follows completion of extensive tests recommended by Jacobs Engineering, including a treatability assessment, a review of fluoride additives, as well a study using WUC's pipe test loop to ensure no adverse effects to WUC's corrosion control program.
VP of Water Operations Garry Rossi says they completed the pipe loop testing as anticipated in 2021, but experienced a minor set-back in the implementation due to supply chain issues related to COVID-19.
"We have now resolved that issue, and our team is poised to begin introducing Fluoride."
ENWIN will continue to monitor the pipe loop after the implementation to ensure pilot data is consistent with actual drinking water system sample results, and to collect further seasonal data.
The Windsor Essex County Health Unit was asked about the decision, and Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai says as a public health intervention fluoridization of water is a good thing.
"Having better dental health is good for the community overall. It's particularly good for people of more disadvantaged social backgrounds. So I think it's a positive step that the people who live in Windsor Essex have elected to move forward with fluoridization of water," he said.
CEO Nicole Dupuis says the health unit has been an advocate of returning fluoride to our water as a public health measure.
"We know in Windsor Essex that our oral health disease and issues related to oral health are significant here, and much worse than other areas in the province," she continued. "And as well just given the pandemic we know that access to oral health has been an issue, we're not out in schools and we haven't been out in schools screening for the past two years."
She says screenings in schools were one of ways they could support children and youth who might've had issues, so they're happen to see this moving forward.
"It's been a long time. I think it was 2019 when that decision was made, so it's been quite a while and we're happy to see its return. We hope that it will help as we move forward, and know that in our oral health outcomes while we don't have the data we had a few years ago, I can image they've improved especially with the limitations in access that we've had over the past year or two."
ENWIN and the Windsor Utilities Commission produce approximately 39 trillion litres of potable water, delivered to Windsor, Tecumseh and LaSalle annually.