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Residents urge board to keep fluoride in Highland Falls water as public hearing opens
Summary
At an open public hearing, multiple residents urged the Highland Falls Board of Trustees not to remove fluoride from the village water supply, citing long‑standing public‑health research and concerns for children and low‑income residents; the board said it will keep the hearing open and seek expert input.
The Highland Falls Board of Trustees opened a public hearing on a proposal to remove fluoride from the village drinking water and heard extended public comment urging retention of fluoridation. Resident Kathy Nazzo told the board, "Fluoride has been in the water supply since 1945," and cited the Centers for Disease Control's recent praise of community water fluoridation as a public‑health achievement (May 2024).
Other residents raised equity and technical concerns. Olga Anderson asked, "Why are we doing this? Has there been evidence of a detrimental effect on our population?" and urged the board to consider both sides of the debate. Jim Leo said he had personal experience with untreated well water and cautioned against a rush to remove fluoride without a careful study. Several speakers asked the board to reach out to licensed dentists, county or state water professionals and to include a budget analysis of any engineering changes.
Mayor DeSalvo (chairing the session) told residents the information sheet that circulated with Village letterhead was an error and pledged procedural safeguards going forward: the board will collect balanced expert testimony — including at least one local dentist and an expert from outside the village — and keep the hearing open for multiple meetings, with a likely decision timeline of September or October. The mayor said the village's water‑quality report is available to the public and noted the board is not taking an immediate vote.
The hearing remains open and the board asked staff to compile water‑quality data, monitoring frequency and cost estimates for any alternative fluoridation methods or infrastructure changes. The board also said it will accept more public comment at future meetings and on the village website.
