A public hearing on the St. Clair County Health Department’s proposed fluoride addition regulation drew a small crowd July 28, with seven people attending and two residents offering comments on the proposal.
The hearing, held in the St. Clair County Administration Building in Port Huron, lasted about 10 minutes. Health Department officials also acknowledged receiving eight written comments submitted before the hearing.
Health Officer Liz King opened the hearing by explaining its purpose was to receive public comments before the proposal advances through the approval process. The July 15 public notice specified that the hearing was for public comment only and that no action on the proposed regulation would be taken.
Medical Director Dr. Remington Nevin summarized the proposal, saying community water systems in St. Clair County currently fluoridate at or near the U.S. Public Health Service’s recommended level of 0.7 milligrams per liter, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) is 4.0 milligrams per liter.
Currently, community water systems are required to provide annual Consumer Confidence Reports covering water testing, treatment and regulated contaminants to the St. Clair County Health Department, EGLE and residents served by the water system. The Health Department receives and files those reports, while EGLE handles the established state regulatory process.
The proposed regulation would create a separate local process specifically for fluoride. If a community water system adds fluoride above the EPA’s health-based standard, the regulation would allow the Health Department to take local action under the process established in the proposal, including potentially imposing fines if the system does not comply with its requirements.
Fort Gratiot resident Kim Scheible spoke against the proposal, calling it unnecessary and saying she was concerned that “if the EPA changes their number based upon the political situation that we have in this country, that now gives you an in to say we are going to reduce the fluoride based on that.”
Dr. Anne Marie Ernest, a St. Clair County resident, urged officials to continue community water fluoridation. She said physicians, dentists and pediatricians have already voiced support for fluoridation during previous public meetings, adding that “the pain that children have, the fear of going to the dentist, and the loss of school and educational time from having to seek dental care” make fluoridation an important public health measure. Ernest also noted that few dental providers in St. Clair County accept Medicaid.
Health Department officials say there is no timeline for when the proposal will be presented to the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners. The department must wait at least 20 days after the public hearing before submitting the proposal for consideration. The proposal may also be revised based on public comments before commissioners review it.
Original article online at: https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/local/2026/07/29/public-weighs-in-on-st-clair-county-michigan-fluoride-rule/91088930007/