Hannibal Board of Public Works to begin process of eliminating fluoride from city’s water supply

HANNIBAL — The Hannibal Board of Public Works (HBPW) is preparing to discontinue the addition of fluoride into the city’s water system, according to a news release issued by the agency Wednesday morning.

The Hannibal City Council voted to request that the board cease the addition of fluoride to the community’s drinking water at its Feb. 4 meeting. The vote itself did not eliminate the chemical from the water supply but rather put the matter “in their (HPBW) ballpark,” as stated by city attorney James Lemon.

State statute requires a 90-day notice to the community, so the discontinuation could begin as soon as mid-May.

“While the HBPW remains neutral regarding the injection of fluoride into the potable water system, we do encourage customers to educate themselves about the effects of fluoride in drinking water,” the release said.

Four councilmembers voted in favor of the resolution that requested the board to stop adding fluoride to the water: Scott Haycraft, 1st Ward; Mike Dobson, 2nd Ward; Charles Phillips, 4th Ward; and Nathan Munger, 6th Ward. Robert Koehn of the 3rd Ward was the lone vote against the resolution.

Councilmembers did not discuss conducting a local study to determine if removing fluoride was necessary before the council voted to recommend the action to be taken. It is unclear if all councilmembers were provided with the same pieces of scientific literature to review before the vote. 

Customers of the city’s public water system are encouraged to provide their feedback on the matter to local elected officials and on the HBPW website. All feedback will be shared with Mayor Barry Louderman, the city council and HBPW board members and considered by the board before scheduling a final vote on the matter after the 90-day notice period.