DATE: November 12, 2019
TO: Board of Mayor and Aldermen
FROM: Eric Stuckey, City Administrator
Michelle Hatcher, Director Water Management Department
SUBJECT:
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Discussion Of Fluoride Addition To Potable Water For Distribution To The City Of Franklin Service Area.
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Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to provide information to the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) concerning addition of fluoride to the City of Franklin’s water distribution service area.
Background
The City adds fluoride into the water as it enters the distribution system for customers. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate that the addition of fluoride into public water systems occurs in 75% of the households that have access to fluoridated water, and the CDC also names water fluoridation as one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.
The City produces approximately 1/3 of the water served to the City’s distribution area, and the remaining amount is supplied by the Harpeth Valley Utility District. At certain places in the distribution system, waters from either source combines to provide the full capacity of the City’s service area.
Both utilities fluoridate water as it enters the distribution system. In addition to fluoridation by municipalities, there is a small naturally occurring background concentration of fluoride in surface waters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) have set a maximum concentration level of fluoride in drinking water at 0.7 mg/L. Over the past year (October 2018 - September 2019) the average concentration found in the distribution system is approximately 0.47 mg/L, and the HVUD water averages around 0.41 mg/L.
The annual cost of fluoride addition to the distribution system is approximately $38,500.
Financial Impact
No financial impact.
Recommendation
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Staff recommends maintaining the standard practice of fluoridating potable water for distribution to the City’s domestic water service area.