Judge Orders Central Alabama Water to Reinstate Fluoride

0:00A Jefferson County judge just slapped central Alabama water with a temporary order to pump fluoride back into the drinking water. The utility dish to cold turkey without the required 90 day heads up to state health officials straight up breaking Alabama law. This kicked in at 2.30 p.m. Monday and hits every one of their treatment plants. Birmingham fired off the lawsuit last week, saying the sudden stop wrecked optimal fluoride levels down to zero. The company blamed old gear, skyrocketing costs, and safety risks from raw chemicals. But the judge said, note notices mandatory, no excuses for cash, or ops issues. Folks are fired up because fluoride fights tooth decay, big time, especially for kids and low income families who can't always hit the dentist. Without warning, the city couldn't alert residents or line up fixes and the court agreed that's causing real, hard to fix health damage right now. The ruling notes Birmingham's got a strong case unless the utility proves it gave proper

1:01notice. Meanwhile, they've pointed to past temporary halts by the old water board that got flagged to health folks, but local health departments claim they weren't looped in on permanence. Hearing set for 5 p.m. April 2nd to decide on a longer injunction, so keep eyes peeled. This water fight's just heating up with public health on the line. From your city, powered by AI, this is Birmingham News Today.