SAN ANTONIO — Safe, reliable drinking water is something that many of us take for granted, or don't even think about.
One rumor that has been going around involves an additive to San Antonio Water System's water supply. This claim comes from KENS5 viewer Deborah Anderson who saw a post on the Nextdoor app.
THE QUESTION
Does SAWS add aluminum to our city water?
THE SOURCES
- San Antonio Water System
- Center's For Disease Control and Prevention
THE ANSWER
FALSE
WHAT WE FOUND
We asked SAWS about the aluminum and in an email they told us, "We don't put aluminum in the water."
However, SAWS does add fluoride into the water in compliance with a 2000 city ordinance which adds fluoride to all water within its system. Why is it added? On the CDC website it says, "Community water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the amount of fluoride in drinking water to a level recommended for preventing tooth decay."
So no, it is not true. The San Antonio Water System does not add aluminium to our city water.
SAWS does say if a customer does say they do not want flouride in their water they can remove it with a reverse osmosis filtration system that removes 98 percent of dissolved minerals including flouride. It is available in under-sink models.