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FPUA pauses adding fluoride to drinking water pending federal guidance; system currently offline for repairs
Summary
FPUA staff told the board they have stopped adding fluoride while awaiting federal or state guidance after the Florida Surgeon General’s advisory; the plant’s fluoridation equipment is also out of service for repairs and parts are expected soon.
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Fort Pierce Utilities Authority recommended Feb. 4 that the board continue pausing the addition of fluoride to drinking water until federal guidance is issued, and staff said the authority’s fluoridation equipment is currently out of service for repairs.
Keith Stevens, FPUA Water Resource Superintendent, reviewed the local history and the current status of fluoridation. He said Fort Pierce first began community fluoridation after a 1963 court decision allowing the practice, and that guidance on optimal fluoride concentrations has changed over decades — with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommending 0.7 milligrams per liter as a uniform target in 2015 and the Florida Administrative Code recommending approximately 0.8 mg/L historically.
Stevens said FPUA’s current finished-water fluoride level is about 0.08 milligrams per liter, reflecting natural fluoride in local aquifers blended with reverse-osmosis water; that level is well below historical fluoridation targets. He told the board the fluoridation feed system is down for maintenance, parts have been ordered and repairs are expected within weeks to a month.
Recent public-health guidance prompted several Treasure Coast utilities and the Florida Surgeon General to advise caution. Fort Pierce staff said the Florida Surgeon General has recommended against community water fluoridation because of concerns about potential neurodevelopmental risks to infants and young children. In response, some nearby utilities have paused or stopped fluoridation; staff said neither the Florida Department of Health nor the state Environmental Protection Agency has issued a directive that requires FPUA to resume or cease the practice.
FPUA staff recommended continuing the pause and told the board they will not resume adding fluoride until they receive clear official federal direction that addresses safety and public-health tradeoffs. Stevens said fluoride “does not serve a treatment function for water quality; it is added for dental public-health purposes,” and that the authority is acting out of caution given evolving guidance.
Board reaction reflected the sensitivity of the topic. Members noted the historical dental benefits associated with fluoridation for children but also expressed an interest in seeing clearer federal or state guidance and more definitive medical evidence before resuming addition. Several board members asked staff to return with updated technical and public-health information if federal guidance changes.
No formal vote was required; the board did not adopt a new policy but concurred with staff’s recommendation to remain paused while the authority tracks federal and state developments and completes the equipment repairs.
Ending: Staff will monitor federal and state guidance and bring the matter back to the board when new official recommendations or directives are available; repairs to FPUA’s fluoridation equipment are expected in the coming weeks.
