coonabarabran – Michmutters
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Dubbo residents shocked to discover no fluoride has been added to water for years

Residents of an inland city have been shocked to learn their drinking water has not had fluoride added to it for three-and-half years.

Dubbo Regional Council has admitted the western NSW city’s fluoridation equipment failed in January 2019 and has remained offline, with repairs to the “non-compliant” equipment yet to begin.

This has affected more than 44,000 residents.

The council’s new chief executive, Murray Wood, said he had not been informed of the issue and only became aware of it in April after investigating a tip-off from the public.

I have claimed the council’s previous “senior leadership” did not take adequate steps to fix the problem on becoming aware of it years ago.

“An audit in 2019 found the infrastructure needed to be fully replaced,” Mr Wood said.

“Unfortunately from that point it appears there weren’t any actions to allow us to add fluoride back to the drinking water.

“Where the failing has been… and where the responsibility sits [is] with the person in my role to allocate budget and notify the council.

“All we can do is apologize for the lack of action, but know since I was made aware of it in April we’re doing everything we can moving forward.”

A close-up shot of part of a water treatment plant
Earlier this month poor raw water flowing from the Macquarie-Wambuul River caused a boil-water alert to be issued.(ABC Western Plains: Madeline Austin)

The ABC has attempted to contact the previous chief executive Michael McMahon for comment.

The council has engaged public works and is working to fix the problem by June 2023.

A common rural story

Dubbo is not the only western NSW town to learn it has been living without fluoridated water for years.

A plastic container filled with brown-looking tap water
Coonabarabran locals say they have been buying bottled water for over a year due to water discolouration and a “bad, chemical taste”.(Supplied)

Coonabarabran and the broader Warrumbungle Shire have struggled for years.

The news comes after a report from the Australian National University last month found more than half a million Australians in at least 400 remote or regional communities lacked access to quality drinking water.

Fluoridation was discontinued in Coonabarabran in December 2015 and the plants in Binnaway and Baradine have been offline since January 2017.

Similarly, due to “problems with design failures”, fluoride dosing systems in Coolah and Mendooran were installed but have never operated.

In March the council confirmed $130,000 had been secured from NSW Health to reinstate the water fluoridation plant in Coolah for the first time since 2015, and “discussions continue on the funding for the other four sites across the shire”.

building and fence with puddle
Warrumbungle Shire Council workers say water leaving its treatment plant is clean, but becomes murky through the town’s pipe system.(ABC News: Kemii Maguire)

Oral health impact

Dubbo dentist Afaq Babi was surprised to learn residents had not had fluoridated water since 2019.

“I always ask patients if they’re on town water or rainwater supplies [to know what treatment to recommend],” Dr Baby said.

A dentist, a dental nurse and a patient look at a screen during an appointment
Dubbo dentist Afaq Babi (left) says he was shocked to learn Dubbo’s town water supplies have not had fluoride added for so long.(Supplied)

“Having fluoride in the water supply makes the teeth stronger against decay or bacterial attack compared to just enamel.

“I tell patients on water sources without fluoride in the water to substitute it with fluoride tablets or fluoride in toothpaste.”

Drinking water woes

Coonabarabran resident Lynda Brain said locals had not had reliably clean water at their homes for years.

“It goes into the bathtub, into the drinking water, people are using bottled water to bathe their children and wash their clothes in it because of the brown color and smell,” she said.

“It also tastes awful with a very strong chemical taste.”

woman with glasses and arms crossed
Lynda Brain says Coonabarabran residents have been experiencing murky water for more than 10 years.(ABC News: Kemii Maguire)

She said the water’s appearance could range from light yellow to deep muddy brown.

One Coonabarabran resident told the ABC she had been buying bottled water since 2009.

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