SHOULD Huntington Beach’s drinking water be fluoridated? (Shutterstock).
By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune
Should the supply of drinking water in Huntington Beach continue to be fluoridated?
On the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting of the Huntington Beach City Council is an item requesting the discontinuance of adding “supplemental fluoridation” to the city’s supply.
In a staff report, it’s stated that the council wants to request an amendment to the city’s domestic water supply permit from the California State Water Resources Control Board.
The report states that fluoride is “naturally present in the city’s water” and discontinuing the program would save the city about $160,000 in annual operations and about $6.7 million in future capital costs.
The request does not cite political considerations, but some opponents have viewed mass medication without individual consent an infringement on personal choice.
In Orange County – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – most cities and communities have fluoridated water, except for Buena Park, Midway City (partial) and Mission Viejo.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. in its chambers at 2000 Main St. (at Yorktown Avenue).
