City officials say a failed pump is to blame for the fact they’ve not been adding fluoride into the city’s freshwater supply system.
Fluoridated water is one of several public health initiatives touted by public health officials as a benefit to dental health. For years, municipal and retail water suppliers have introduced fluoride into the water supply.
Six Investigates caught up with Water Quality Manager Gabriel Ramirez, who says adding the chemical is optional. There is no state or federal mandate.
He says there is a trace amount of naturally-occurring fluoride already present in the water but the optimal level is 0.7 milligrams-per-liter. He says we’re at about half that level.
The city stopped adding the chemical in 2012, when the fluoride pump system broke. He says the city hopes to have a new system installed in about two years.
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