Fluorides are chemical compounds naturally found in air, water, soil and almost all foods.
Fluorides are commonly released into the environment by erosion resulting in natural
concentrations in surface and ground waters.

Fluoride naturally occurs in the Bow and Elbow Rivers, in concentrations varying throughout
the year, between 0.1 and 0.4 mg/L.

Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality continue to recommend
optimal fluoride dosing to be 0.7 mg/L and has set a maximum allowable concentration of
1.5 mg/L.

1957-1971

• Calgarians vote against adding fluoride to its drinking water four times in 1957, 1961, 1966
  and 1971.

1989-1991

• In a 1989 plebiscite, Calgarians voted in favour of adding fluoride to the city’s drinking water.
  By 1991, fluoride was being added to Calgary’s drinking water at a target of 1.0 mg/L.

1998-1999

• In 1998, The City and Alberta Health Services reviewed water fluoridation as a public policy,
  and a panel of five experts recommended a reduction in the level of fluoride to 0.7 mg/L.
  This change was adopted in 1999 following a second plebiscite where Calgarians again voted
  in favour of fluoridation by 55 per cent.

2011

• The City of Calgary discontinued the addition of fluoride to Calgary’s drinking water as directed
  by Council on May 19, 2011.

2021

• As part of the 2021 General Election, 62 per cent of electors voted in favour of reintroducing
  fluoridation of the municipal water supply.
• On November 15, 2021, Council directed Administration to implement water fluoridation
  of the drinking water system.

Estimated costs to reintroduce fluoridation:

• Capital costs for infrastructure at the two water treatment plants – $10.1 million
• Annual operating costs – $864,000 per year
• Annual maintenance costs – $100,000 to $200,000 per year
• Approximately $30.1 million over a 20-year life span

Current operating and capital budgets do not include the costs associated with reintroducing
fluoridation, although reintroduction of fluoridation is not expected to increase water rates.
Final costs will be determined as part of the design process and will be provided in The City’s
annual water rates.

Existing infrastructure, which had reached the end of its life cycle in 2011, was
decommissioned and removed following the Council decision to stop fluoridation.

The current timeline is 18-24 months once a decision to reinstate fluoride has been made.

The compound which would be used to fluoridate Calgary’s water would be the same as the
compound used prior to 2011. This compound is currently used by approximately 75 per cent
of the utilities in North America that fluoridate their water.

Fluoride would likely be added to drinking water during the disinfection process, (Step 3 below).
More information on The City’s water treatment process is available at
https://www.calgary.ca/uep/water/water-and-wastewater-systems/water-treatment/water-treatment-tour/water-treatment-tour.html.