Is Fluoride Added To Tuscaloosa/Northport Water?
It's been a pretty big topic around Alabama as well as across the USA.
What is in our water? Is it bad for us? What can we do about it? How can we find out what exactly is being put into our water?
All great questions, and some of them can be answered fairly easily. Let's talk about the Tuscaloosa/Northport water supply. All of Tuscaloosa County is sourced from Lake Tuscaloosa. Now, we wouldn't want to drink that straight from the lake. It gets treated long before it comes into our homes.
The City of Northport Water Works optimally fluoridates all of its drinking water. As a side note, much of what Northport does with water treatment is also the same in Tuscaloosa. Testing records from the Environmental Working Group show the average fluoride level in Northport tap water is around 0.55 ppm. This amount is well below national public health standards, which are typically set a bit higher to prevent cavities and support oral health.
Most cities, Northport and Tuscaloosa included, prepare and release "quality" reports that are available for the public online. These reports break down everything found in our local water supplies. Some of the contaminants detected include chloroform, aluminum, and coliform bacteria, just to name a few.
Of course, all of those contaminants were found at different levels, and none were considered to be at levels that would constitute a violation. You can read the entire report at northportal.gov.
According to the Northport government site, all drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.
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