Colorado

WATER FLUORIDATION STATUS:

• PERCENT OF PEOPLE SERVED BY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS THAT ARE FLUORIDATED:
  2018:  74.9% – ranked #29 among the states (100% fluoridated is ranked #1)
  2016:  74.9%
  2014:  74.0%
  2012:  72.4%
  2006:  73.6%
  2000:  76.9%
  1992:  81.7%
• To see if your town is fluoridated, click here.
• To learn when your town was fluoridated, and which fluoridation chemical it uses, click here.

COLORADO FLUORIDE DATA FOR EACH WATER SYSTEM

• 2020: Levels of Fluoride in the State’s Drinking Water and Fluoridation Status: 230 Public Water Systems with fluoride levels over 0.71 ppm.

• 39 systems over 2.01 ppm
• 125 public water systems over 1.0 ppm
• 66 from 0.71 to 1.0 ppm

It is illegal for any Public Water System to deliver drinking water with fluoride concentrations higher than 2.0 ppm, which is still exceedingly high. Water departments deal with this issue by using filter systems to reduce the high levels of fluoride, in some cases blending with water supplies that have lower levels, or the abandonment of the water supply.

To find out the fluoride levels in your drinking water, contact your local water department. You can also go online to CDC’s My Water’s Fluoride.

Fluoridated Counties, Cities and towns in Colorado noted by Michael Dolan in his November 2021 Fluoridation Review:

This list was obtained from the State of Colorado in 2020. For the purpose of this list cities and towns with naturally occurring fluoride are listed as non-fluoridated, meaning fluoride is not added to the water.

Fluoridated cities and towns: (incomplete) Aspen, Boulder, Breckenridge, Brighton, Broomfield (City and County), Cañon City, Clifton, Craig, Denver, Dillon, Durango, Eagle, Erie, Ft. Collins, Ft. Morgan, Glenwood Springs, Granby, Grand Junction, Greely, Hayden, Hotchkiss, Lafayette, Lamar, Las Animas, Longmont, Louisville, Loveland, Norwood, Pueblo, Rangely, Silverthorne, Snowmass Village, Steamboat Springs, Superior, Trinidad, Ute tribe (southern), Walden, Walsenburg, Wellington, West Jefferson.

Non-fluoridated cities and towns: Aguilar, Akron, Alamosa, Alma, Antonito, Arriba, Arvada (temporarily suspended), Ault, Aurora, Basalt, Bayfield, Bennett, Berthoud, Bethune, Black Hawk, Blanca, Blue River, Bonanza, Boone, Bow Mar, Branson, Brookside, Brush, Buena Vista, Burlington, Calhan, Campo, Carbondale, Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Cedaredge, Centennial, Center, Central City, Cheraw, Cherry Hills Village, Cheyenne Wells, Coal Creek, Cokedale, Collbran, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Columbine Valley, Commerce City, Cortez, Crawford, Creede, Crested Butte, Crestone, Cripple Creek, Crook, Crowley, Dacono, De Beque, Deer Trail, Del Norte, Delta, Dinosaur, Dolores, Dove Creek, Eads, Eaton, Eckley, Edgewater, Elizabeth, Empire, Englewood, Estes Park, Evans, Fairplay, Federal Heights, Firestone, Flagler, Fleming, Florence, Fort Lupton, Fountain, Fowler, Foxfield, Fraser, Frederick, Frisco, Fruita, Garden City, Genoa, Georgetown, Gilcrest, Glendale, Golden, Granada, Green Mountain Falls, Greenwood Village, Grover, Gunnison, Gypsum, Hartman, Haswell, Haxtun, Hillrose, Holly, Holyoke, Hooper, Hot Sulphur Springs, Hudson, Hugo, Idaho Springs, Ignacio, Iliff, Jamestown, Johnstown, Julesburg, Keenesburg, Kersey, Kim, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Kremmling, La Jara, La Junta, La Veta, Lake City, Lakeside, Lakewood, Larkspur, LaSalle, Leadville, Limon, Littleton, Lochbuie, Log Lane Village, Lone Tree, Lyons, Manassa, Mancos, Manitou Springs, Manzanola, Marble, Mead, Meeker (temporarily suspended), Merino, Milliken, Minturn, Moffat, Monte Vista, Montezuma, Montrose, Monument, Morrison, Mount Crested Butte, Mountain View, Naturita, Nederland, New Castle, Northglenn, Nucla, Nunn, Oak Creek, Olathe, Olney Springs, Ophir, Orchard City, Ordway, Otis, Ouray, Ovid, Pagosa Springs, Palisade, Palmer Lake, Paoli, Paonia, Parachute, Parker, Peetz, Pierce, Pitkin, Platteville, Poncha Springs, Pritchett, Ramah,  Raymer, Red Cliff, Rico, Ridgway, Rifle, Rockvale, Rocky Ford, Romeo, Rye, Saguache, Salida, San Luis, Sanford, Sawpit, Sedgwick, Seibert, Severance, Sheridan, Sheridan Lake, Silt, Silver Cliff, Silver Plume, Silverton, Simia, South Fork, Springfield, Starkville, Sterling, Stratton, Sugar City, Swink, Telluride, Thornton, Timnath, Two Buttes, Vail, Victor, Vilas, Vona, Walsh, Ward, Westcliffe, Westminster, Wheat Ridge, Wiggins, Wiley, Williamsburg, Windsor, Winter Park, Woodland Park, Wray, Yampa, Yuma.

LATEST NEWS:

• To see the latest news on fluoride developments in Colorado, click here.
• To see an updated list of Colorado professionals calling for an end to fluoridation, click here.

Colorado’s FLUORIDATION LAW:

• The State of Colorado does not mandate fluoridation. Under Colorado Revised Statutes § 25-21.5-108, the Department of Public Health and Environment can award grants to communities to fund local fluoridation programs, but local governments control fluoridation policy in CO.  City councils can begin or discontinue fluoridation at their discretion, or by a referendum vote.  Each community’s fluoridation ordinance is unique.  To learn more about these fluoridation ordinances, click here.

DATA ON ORAL HEALTH:

• 2000. Addressing the crisis of oral health access for Colorado’s children. Colorado Commission Children’s Dental Health. A Report to the Honorable Bill Owens Governor, State of Colorado. December 2.
  “During the Colorado 2000 General Assembly session, through tobacco settlement legislation, funds were designated for the improvement of the Child Health Plan Plus, including the addition of a dental benefit to begin January 1, 2001, providing an ‘adequate number of dentists are willing to provide services to eligible children.’” No mention of dental fluorosis.
• 2005. Smart Mouths, Healthy Bodies: An Action Plan to Improve the Oral Health of Coloradans. Prepared for Oral Health Awareness Colorado by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Oral Health Program. Fall. No mention of dental fluorosis.
• 2011-2015 Colorado Oral Health Surveillance System Plan. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. No mention of dental fluorosis.
• 2012. Colorado Oral Health Plan. Developed by Oral Health Colorado. No mention of dental fluorosis.

Of Special Interest:

• Report of the Fort Collins Fluoride Technical Study Group. April 2003. Prepared by
  Fort Collins Utility Department, Health District of Northern Larimer County, Larimer County Board of Health

FAN’S STATE COORDINATOR IN COLORADO:

If you live in CO and want to get the fluoride out of your water contact Lisa Brumfeld, FAN’s Colorado state coordinator.

Colorado COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE REJECTED FLUORIDATION:

COLORADO WATER SYSTEMS WITH HIGH FLUORIDE LEVELS:

FLUORIDE POLLUTION SOURCES IN COLORADO 2014-2016:

FLUORIDE POLLUTION SOURCES IN COLORADO 2008:

In 2008, Colorado ranked #27 out of 48 states for Hydrogen Fluoride releases (681,342 pounds). The following data comes from EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). “Total releases” includes both water and air pollution. It’s important to note, however, that not all industries or sources that release fluoride into the environment are included in the TRI.