Drinking water in LMT now Fluoridated

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Did you know public drinking water in Lower Macungie is now Fluoridated? Township residents with public connections get their water from Lehigh County Authority. (LCA) As part of a ongoing regionalization of the water supply, LCA signed a deal with Allentown a few years ago to connect to the city’s water system. The connection was recently completed and city water has begun flowing into the LCA water system last month. The deal obligates LCA to purchase a certain amount of water from the city starting in 2013 and increasing that amount in subsequent years.

Since the city fluoridates it’s water, our drinking water supply here in LMT is now flouridated. For now, the concentration is less than in the city but this amount will increase as LCA continues to increase it’s water purchases from Allentown.

There has long been public debate over whether fluoridating the water supply is a good thing. It’s long been a contentious issue in the city since it began fluoridating in 2000.

Water Flouridation Controversy – Wikipedia article
The next Allentown water issue could be flouridation – Mcall

Another by product of the purchasing agreement is that LMT previously had mainly well water. Generally well water is considered a higher quality water source than surface water from a creek or reservoir. For years some including the ‘Friends LMT‘ organization have linked development pressure on the Little Lehigh creek watershed to the water supply quality in Allentown, since the city gets most of it’s water from the creek.

Now with the new agreement in place, LMT also gets it’s drinking water in part from the Little Lehigh Creek. Perhaps now this will open some eyes to issues surrounding the water quality of our watershed in relation to development pressure and policies by our current and previous boards that continue to put flooding, sediment and water quality pressure on the creek.