The City of Hartley will quit adding fluoride to its water later this year.
The mineral, which is added to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay and other dental conditions, strengthens the hard outer surface of teeth. Its addition to municipal water supplies has been common practice among utilities for more than seven decades.
Hartley Superintendent of Public Works Nick Galm said the decision to cut fluoride from the city’s water supply came after a suggestion from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
“The DNR and [Hartley Water Superintendent Terry Hilbert] have been talking about it for a while and they looped me back into it,” Galm said. “Cities that have been [adding flouride] are getting out of it quicker than people probably realize.”
The city this month gave residents official notice of the fluoride decision with a letter sent with utility bills. According to Galm, the reason for nixing it was twofold.
“One being the fact that fluoride can be one of the most dangerous chemicals many cities handle daily,” he wrote in the notice. “The second being most Americans have good access to dental facilities.”
Fluoride is commonly added to toothpastes and other dental hygiene products to prevent decay and cavities. In Iowa, its inclusion in drinking water is up to the utility. Recent studies have questioned its effectiveness as a water additive while others have supported the practice.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Calumet is currently the only utility in O’Brien County with fluoride-free tap water. It’s a different story to the north in Osceola County, where Sibley is the only community to add the mineral to its water supply. Osceola Rural Water, based in May City, does not add it to its water.
Clay County’s water suppliers are mixed. Dickens, Fostoria and Spencer add fluoride, while Everly and Peterson do not. Iowa Lakes Regional Water, which supplies water to Royal, does add fluoride.
Galm said the city would discontinue the use of fluoride once its current supply is used up – most likely in the middle of June or early July. He said the city will see a slight cost savings because of the move, but he was unsure how much.
Original article online at: https://www.hartleysentinel.com/story/2025/02/27/news/hartley-to-quit-adding-fluoride-to-water/4495.html