BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo residents have been without fluoride in their water for years now. Fluoride has not been included in Buffalo's water since 2015. The Buffalo Water Board said this was due to system upgrades.
SEE: Buffalo Water customers without fluoride for nearly a decade, report shows
Robert Corp with Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria said the firm filed a lawsuit against the City of Buffalo on behalf of multiple families. The lawsuit states that the City of Buffalo and Buffalo Water Board are violating constitutional rights by depriving customers of fluoridated drinking water.
Corp said in this lawsuit they are ordering the city to:
- immediately resume fluoridation of Buffalo's water supply
- provide free dental clinics for customers who have experienced dental issues
- pay more than 160 million dollars in damages
"Now here we are middle of October and there's still shockingly no fluoride in Buffalo's water," Corp said.
SEE ALSO: New lawsuit against City of Buffalo, water board over lack of fluoride in water
Corp said that one of the defendants, Veolia, was able to get this case moved from state court to federal court. The firm is now demanding to undo this change.
"We don't think that's appropriate. We think that this is a local controversy in a case that is best heard by a local state court," Corp said.
Corp is representing multiple Buffalo families who are still upset over the lack of fluoride in the city's water.
"There's continued harm every day that there's no harm in the water so step number one is to resume the fluoridation immediately," he added.
A city spokesperson has confirmed with 7 News' Kristen Mirand Buffalo residents are one step closer to getting fluoride back in their water. The Erie County and State Health Departments have reviewed the restoration plans. The state department then provided feedback about this to the City of Buffalo's engineer.
Now, the city is in the middle of responding to those comments.
Buffalo Water is actively engaging with NYS DOH and Erie County DOH to ensure that fluoride will return to Buffalo’s water system as soon as possible.
Still, there's no timetable for when fluoride will be back in the water.
"It's frustrating for my clients. It's frustrating for the people of Buffalo because we're doing what we can to try to help fix the problem," Corp said.
