MOORABOOL residents will receive fluoridated water in the next two months, Western Water managing director John Wilkinson has said. The shire has missed out on the mineral, considered essential for dental health, for the last seven months.Bacchus Marsh was one of the first towns in Australia to have its water fluoridated in 1962.Mr Wilkinson said Moorabool and Melton stopped receiving fluoridated water in May this year.“Western Water has been progressively reintroducing water from the Merrimu reservoir into the Melton and Bacchus Marsh drinking water supplies since early 2011,” Mr Wilkinson said.“This process began after the Merrimu reservoir recovered from a decade of drought, during which the reservoir’s water filtration plant and fluoridation plant were decommissioned.”Mr Wilkinson said the Merrimu water filtration plant was recommissioned in early 2011. However, stringent new health department guidelines relating to fluoridation processes meant the existing fluoridation plant, which is over a decade old, did not meet today’s standards.Work, he said, had already begun on upgrading the fluoridation facilities at the Merrimu Water Filtration Plant.“We expect our customers in Melton and Moorabool to be receiving fluoridated water in line with Department of Health guidelines in the next two months,” Mr Wilkinson said. “This relatively short period without fluoride in the drinking water is therefore not likely to have an adverse effect on customers’ health.”But Moorabool mayor Pat Griffin said the water authority should have told the shire seven months ago about the lack of fluoride in the water.“We are pretty disappointed they didn’t inform us in May,” Cr Griffin said. “By cutting fluoride off for nine months I think they have dropped the ball.”The company, he said, should guarantee the resumption of fluoridated water by February.Djerriwarrh Health Services chief executive Bruce Marshall said Melton and Moorabool had a demographically young population and it was important they had the benefit of having fluoridated water.“Anything less than having a fluoridated water supply is sub-standard,” Mr Marshall said.“With over 2500 births per year from our health catchment area we believe it to be imperative that fluoridation is recommended immediately.”A spokesperson for the Minister for Health David Davis said the government expected the Merrimu plant to be recommissioned.