GoKawiilResidents of Birmingham, Alabama, were abruptly informed earlier this month that their water utility had decided to stop adding fluoride to city water. Then, days later, they learned that the utility had actually stopped adding fluoride years ago.
On March 20, Central Alabama Water (CAW) made an announcement that it had discontinued water fluoridation. The announcement cited “aging equipment” and “increasing maintenance and component replacement” as justifications for the removal of fluoride, which it indicated had already occurred. But the water utility also highlighted unsubstantiated health concerns and noted that people can buy toothpaste and mouthwash that contain fluoride to protect their teeth.
Emphasizing that there are “questions about the long‑term health effects,” CAW said, “ending drinking water fluoridation allows customers and their health care providers to make more individualized decisions about fluoride use.”
Days later, a CAW spokesperson revealed that three of its water treatment plants had abandoned fluoride years ago—in January 2023, August 2023, and March 2024, respectively.
“It’s important to realize that pretty much no one in Birmingham has had any fluoride in their water for two years,” a CAW spokesperson told local WBRC news on March 24. The removal occurred before a 2025 law that restructured the water board, the spokesperson explained, adding that there was “no public notification” of the change. The spokesperson said this lack of notice meant residents weren’t able to “consult with their dentists.”
City response
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin blasted CAW’s revelations in a series of Facebook posts, noting that some of the water utility’s current leaders are the same as those prior to the restructuring. Thus, the current board should have been well aware that plants had previously stopped fluoridating water and known that the public was not duly notified. Among the overlapping leaders is the current CEO Jeffrey F. Thompson, who previously worked as assistant general manager of operations and technical services for the utility’s previous board, Birmingham Water Works Board.
In a subsequent post, Woodfin suggested that the CAW broke a state law that requires the utility to provide a 90-day written notice of such a change, including the reasons for the change and the communities affected.