OROVILLE, Calif. – Drinking water in Oroville will soon be free of added fluoride.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in February approved a request from the Oroville City Council to remove it.
The decision marks a significant shift for Oroville, which has a long history with fluoride in its water. In 1957, city leaders successfully advocated for its addition to the system.
In July of 2024, the Oroville City Council passed a resolution to work with California Water Service (Cal Water) and state regulators to end fluoridation.
Cal Water then filed a formal request with the CPUC. Over several months, the CPUC reviewed the proposal, gathered information, and held public hearings in Oroville. Many community members expressed concerns about potential safety risks.
In February, the CPUC approved the request, allowing fluoride to be removed from the city’s water supply starting April 1.
The local debate intensified after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began reviewing its guidance on water fluoridation. This prompted some communities, including Oroville, to reconsider their policies.
Dr. Brent Parrott of Oroville Gentle Dentistry expressed concerns about the potential impact on dental health.
“I don’t know why they decided that. Do they have any proof that it ever caused any problems? Fluoridated water has proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent preventing decay. Unless someone has some big reason that they could prove our children are doing worse in school, worse in testing, and it’s because of fluoride – that would be a hard one to approve I think. For me as a dentist, hey maybe this is a good thing. I’ll have more work to do, but that’s not why we’re in dentistry. We’re not in dentistry to do work to prevent people from having problems and help them, this kind of goes completely against that,” Parrott said.
Parrott emphasized that fluoride helps prevent cavities and can reduce tooth sensitivity by strengthening enamel. With over 30 years in dentistry, he noted that it’s often easy to identify patients from communities without fluoridated water.
While researching the story, it was found that Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the first city in the U.S. to add fluoride to its drinking water in 1945. Their goal was to determine if small, controlled amounts of fluoride could prevent tooth decay, and they saw a 60% reduction in cavities.
Cal Water officials stated that ending fluoridation in Oroville would reduce fluoride-related costs by about $13,500 in 2025. This change will have a modest impact on the utility’s operating budget but will not directly affect customers’ water bills.
Original article online at: https://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/removing-fluoride-from-the-city-of-orovilles-water/article_0d20ae2f-5ae0-48af-ab26-758d08470f12.html