Birmingham Sues Water Utility Over Fluoride Stop

0:00Birmingham has sued Central Alabama Water after the utility suddenly stopped adding fluoride to the city's drinking water. The lawsuit filed Thursday in Jefferson County Circuit Court accuses the company of ending a nearly 50-year practice without proper notice. City officials followed up Friday with a request for an emergency court order to force the fluoride back into the supply right away. The trouble started when Central Alabama Water announced on March 20th that it was halting fluoridation. According to the city, this breaks an Alabama law that requires at least 90 days warning to state health officials before any permanent changes. The suit also names the CEO and five board members claiming they hid the decision from the public and local leaders. This move has sparked big concerns over public health. Officials call it a public nuisance that endangers dental care for Birmingham's roughly 90,000 residents. They stress that fluoridated water is a cheap way to fight tooth decay, especially for low-income families and kids who might not get regular dental.

1:01Checkups. Without warning, the city couldn't alert people or set up other fixes for at-risk groups. Now, they're pushing the court to rule the stopage illegal and order the water treated again while the case plays out. Central Alabama Water isn't commenting since its active litigation, but will keep following this closely as it unfolds. This has been Birmingham News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.