An organization providing water in four local counties is suing the Arkansas Department of Health. The Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority filed its lawsuit against the department over its requirements of fluoridation.
According to the Harrison Daily Times, the suit concerns Act 197 of 2011 requiring all water systems with more than 5,000 customers to add fluoride to the water. The authority says it technically sells water to 18 water systems in Marion, Searcy, Boone and Newton Counties. Its board argues none of the systems have 5,000 customers, and it should be excused from the requirements. The health department disagreed and sent a letter to the authority in late July ordering it to begin plans for fluoridation within 90 days or face fines of up to $500 per week.
In its lawsuit, the authority claims it's not a water system defined under Act 197 because it doesn't have control over potable water after it's sent to the individual systems. The authority also alleges wholesale customers are opposed to adding fluoride-containing compounds to the drinking water. The Water Authority says health hazards are associated with contaminants, and adding flouride as a caustic acid reduces the life of equipment by as much as 40 percent.
The suit is asking the court to issue a stay and eventually reverse the Health Department's final order and the costs and fees the authority has incurred pending legal review.
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