A Sunshine Coast Mayor says there is little point in fluoridating public water supplies because only a small percentage of water is used for drinking.

There has been a mixed reaction from councils to a Queensland Government plan to provide $6 million so larger councils can build the infrastructure to fluoridate water.

But Maroochy Shire Mayor Joe Natoli says the increasing popularity of bottled water means only about 1 per cent of his shire’s water supply is used for drinking.

“Bottled water now is one of the highest selling products in terms of beverages and what you’ll realise is that if children are drinking bottled water because there’s perceived to be a benefit in terms of the health of the water, then they’re not going to end up with the medication that the Government wants,” he said.

Caloundra’s Mayor says the Government’s proposal could cause a problem for Maroochy and Caloundra councils.

Councillor Don Aldous says if one agrees to fluoridate and the other flatly refuses, it would be up to Aquagen – which provides water for both councils to work out a way to resolve the problem.

Cr Aldous says he is not sure which way either council will respond to the Government’s plan, but if they have different views, it could pose a conundrum for engineers.

“I’ve got no idea how you would do that, I should imagine the fluoride would have to be injected into or added to the water as it entered the pipes that were flowing into each of the reservoirs in the respective council – I’ve got no idea how that would work, we’d have to work through all that,” he said.

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