BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Water Board Chairman Oluwole McFoy says you can trust the Buffalo Water Board to put fluoride back in the city’s water after residents went nine years without it.
“We are on track to make sure that we get the project of restoration of fluoride done by this summer,” McFoy told 2 On Your Side on Wednesday. “This is a big deal for us and we want to make sure — working with our partners at the state as well as Erie County — to make sure we get this done right and timely.”
John Craig, executive director of the 8th District Dental Society, said that while he trusts the water board, he also intends to verify that officials stay on track.
“We're very hopeful that this will remain consistent, but we'll keep them honest and continue to come to meetings to make sure that they are on task so that we can let our members know so that they can let their patients know,” Craig said.
If Craig seems skeptical, it may be because the water board stopped adding fluoride to the water in 2015 to make repairs and for years, failed to fix the problem.
In January 2023, the public first became aware of the problem and outraged Buffalonians filed a class-action lawsuit against the city that is still pending. (McFoy said he could not comment Wednesday about the lawsuit.)
Experts say fluoride is critical to the dental health of children. The city missed its stated deadline of fixing the system by the end of 2023 and its new goal is now the end of August.
When it was revealed that Buffalo stopped using fluoride in its water, Mayor Byron W. Brown said he was unaware of that decision. But the mayor took responsibility for the oversight.
"Ultimately, the buck stops with me,” Brown said in January.
McFoy, who was appointed to his position by the mayor, took a different tack when asked Wednesday to explain. 2 On Your Side asked McFoy what he would say to city residents who wanted to know what is taking so long to restore fluoride.
“Engineering projects do take a while and we've had to go through several pieces of approvals,” McFoy said. “They're large engineering projects and we really take a firm view on any changes and we want to make sure that we get this right.”
2 On Your Side asked, “Do you feel that as the water board chairman … that you bear some responsibility for dropping the ball on this?”
McFoy replied: “Hmm … I appreciate that question, but no. We actually as a team make sure that we are doing our due diligence whenever we're doing changes. … What we really want to talk about right now is the construction project that we have going on right now that we are delivering for the people of Buffalo.”