![Dubbo Regional Council mayor Mathew Dickerson in front of the fluoride tank at John Glibert Water Treatment Plant. Picture by Ciara Bastow Dubbo Regional Council mayor Mathew Dickerson in front of the fluoride tank at John Glibert Water Treatment Plant. Picture by Ciara Bastow](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/37qTRiw9gHRe7AczHzCfjaK/e4aa57de-819e-42b1-8ea6-02c79367d59c.jpg/r200_184_842_679_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Dubbo Regional Council will go ahead with the construction of a new fluoride dosing system using a different chemical to replace the existing system at the John Gilbert Water Treatment Plant in Dubbo.
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This comes just months after DRC became aware they had not been dosing the water with fluoride since January 2019.
DRC plans on engaging the Public Works Advisory to develop the tender documentation for the design and construction of the dosing system in mid September before advertising for the tender in January 2023 and then awarding the works through the tender process late March or early April 2023.
DRC mayor Mathew Dickerson questioned the potential timeline, as he had previously told residents they should expect fluoridation in their water by June 30, 2023.
DRC Chief Executive Officer Murray Wood said there was a lot of time in the initial program in the public works to do documentation.
"I will be surprised if we can't accelerate that process and not being able to implement tendered documentation until next year I think is overly conservative," he said.
"We will continue to work towards that June 30 deadline and if there are any changes...we would bring a report back to council."
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DRC engaged the Public Works Advisory to undertake an options study for the upgrading of the fluoride dosing system at the Dubbo Water Treatment Plant.
Three options were identified, including a full upgrade of the existing system, the construction of a new dosing system using the same chemical or the option council decided on.
The first two options were not recommended due to having more disadvantages then advantages.
![The option council decided on had more advantages then disadvantages. The option council decided on had more advantages then disadvantages.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/37qTRiw9gHRe7AczHzCfjaK/ea4352f6-7516-405e-a9ad-18ca7c07a112.JPG/r0_0_821_549_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Council staff have been discussing the recommended option with Griffith City Council as they have recently installed the sodium silicofluoride system at their water treatment plant.
The purpose of these discussions was to "reality check" the operation of the recommended option and understand if there are any operational challenges.
The option was discussed with staff from the Water Unit of the Department of Planning and Environment and staff from the Department of Health.
The Department of Health advised that a fluoride technical application for a new or upgraded fluoridation system will be required to be submitted.
Deputy mayor Richard Ivey said he found the Dubbo community to be understanding in regard to the issue.
"The community does understand and to a degree there is acceptance, it's a difficult situation and we are working hard to fix it as soon as possible," he said.
Mr Wood said they haven't had many customer complaints and most feedback was about it not being advertised earlier.
"Now the issue is in front of council and we have a potential fixture, which I think has given the community confidence," he said.
Councillor Josh Black only had a positive comment to say on the issue.
"It's exciting times for oral health in Dubbo," he said.
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