For about 20 years, Eureka Springs actively opposed adding fluoridation chemicals to the drinking water supply. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend fluoridation of water supplies to prevent cavities in children, opponents were concerned about contaminants in fluoridation chemicals including lead, arsenic, barium and aluminum.
There were also concerns about studies linking fluoridation to lower IQ levels, a higher prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and high rates of dental fluorosis (mottling of teeth) in children. And some studies have linked fluoridation to higher rates of hypothyroidism in adults.
Then there was the issue of the corrosiveness of fluoridation chemicals, which can have the effect of leaching lead out of older plumbing systems. The City of Eureka Springs opposed fluoridation but was not allowed to opt out despite being a historic city with many older buildings with lead service lines at risk for corrosion and lead leaching.
“The Arkansas Department of Health lists this as one of their greatest achievements and will not consider that fluoride increases corrosion of certain pipe materials,” Public Works Director Dwayne Allen said.
In 2014, prior to fluoridation, Eureka Springs had lead levels of .004 parts per million. In 2015, after fluoridation began, the lead levels increased to .011 ppm. They remained at that level in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, they increased to .014 ppm, which is just .001 ppm away from the EPA lead action level of .015 ppm.
The city instituted increased lead sampling after fluoridation began.
“I added several tier-one structures to our sampling pool after researching property records,” Allen said. “I do not believe the increased efficiency and frequency of sampling is to blame.”
The city receives its water from the Carroll Boone Water District. A memorandum of agreement between CBWD and the cities it serves – Eureka Springs, Berryville, Green Forest and Harrison – states that water from CBWD should not contribute to scaling or corrosion in pipes. The CBWD voted in 2017 to address this part of the agreement by increasing the pH of the water, which is one way to prevent corrosion.
“To what degree the pH adjustment will make the water less aggressive in dissolving metals from household plumbing systems is yet to be seen,” Allen said. “I believe it is a positive step, but it may not be the only action required. If our levels continue to rise, the city of Eureka Springs will explore the option injecting a corrosion inhibitor into our distribution system.”
According to a report from the mayor’s office, transmission water mains are testing lead free, and as city lead service lines are removed, it leaves the vast majority of lead being in private residential plumbing. Lead plumbing lines were banned in the 1920s, but local plumbing codes allowed lead until the 1980s. Lead solder was banned in 1986 and lead in brass fittings was banned in 2014.
“If you know your home plumbing has lead, we strongly suggest you participate in having your water tested,” the city recommends. “Based on your test results and factoring in if small children, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems are residing there will allow you to make the best choices, whether that be adding a home filter or beginning plumbing upgrades. We continue to monitor the water quality and will be running lead and copper sampling again this spring, 2019.”
Since the corrosion correction plan has begun, each water system that receives water from Carroll Bonne will be required to test to determine the efficacy of the corrosion control treatment. Sites for testing in Eureka Springs were selected after researching every record available to establish the location of lead, copper, and galvanized steel in the water system. Tier-one sample sites must be single-family structures that contain copper pipes with lead solder installed or built after 1982, or that have lead in their plumbing systems or the greatest possibility of having lead in their plumbing systems. These are homes built typically before 1930.
“The sample site plan is to be reviewed and corrected if needed before each sample set,” the report said. “The Eureka Springs Lead and Copper Sample Site Plan was researched and expanded in 2017 to identify the most likely high lead and copper concentrations. We added thirty additional sites and once approved, that site can never be removed from the site plan.”
Local resident Joyce Knowles has raised concerns about the lead levels in Eureka Springs. She said levels were higher than most other cities in the state even before the most recent testing.
“Of the 625 cities tested, eleven had levels the same or higher than ours putting us in the top two percent of cities with the highest lead levels based on testing between 2015-2017,” Knowles said.
Knowles is particularly concerned about the impacts on children. She said that according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, no safe blood lead level in children has been identified.
“Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, the ability to pay attention, and academic achievement,” Knowles said. “And the effects of lead exposure cannot be corrected.”
Knowles said she accepts the CDC conclusion that the corrosive influence of fluoride in drinking water is not significant compared to other chemical influences as there can be up to 40 chemical additives to treat water, each at levels 5-10 times the amount of the fluoride additives.
The city will now be sampling twice a year, and that testing will determine the next course of action, if required. Injecting phosphates is a common way to increase the pH in order to decrease corrosion and lead leaching. But Allen said additional phosphates could result in the city not meeting phosphate discharge limits at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Higher phosphate removal at the wastewater plant could result in substantial extra costs.
“While we are glad we have kept lead results below action levels, the goal is to reach zero lead at each tap,” the city report said. “The pending Lead and Copper Rule revisions will have federal funding attached, and we believe our efforts have placed Eureka Springs in a prime position to receive a portion of those funds for our citizens.”