AUBURN — Twin Cities water officials moved quickly Tuesday, reducing the amount of fluoride in treated water to meet new federal guidelines.
Auburn Water District Superintendent John Storer said the cities cut the amount of fluoride added to the drinking water from 1.2 parts-per-million to between 0.65 and 0.70 parts-per-million.
The cities have added the chemical to water drawn from Lake Auburn for at least 41 years. Auburn began first, adding fluoride in October 1969 after a local referendum. Lewiston followed suit in April 1971.
New federal guidelines issued Monday recommend fluoride levels below 0.70 parts-per-million. That is still enough to protect teeth against cavities but not enough to cause other problems. Fluoride is being blamed for staining teeth and promoting brittle bones in the elderly.
Storer said the chemical is added to the Twin Cities’ water supply at the joint Lake Auburn treatment facility. The cities have budgeted $55,000 for the treatment chemical this year, so the change should save them about $32,000.
“And that doesn’t take other chemicals into account,” Storer said. The fluoride makes water more acidic, so Storer said the water districts add sodium hydroxide to balance the water’s pH.
“So with less fluoride, it should be easier to balance the pH,” he said.
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