How Much Fluoride is in Our Local Water Supply?
Residents of Denver, Edgewater, Wheat Ridge, and most of Lakewood are served by the regional Denver Water system. However, Arvada and Golden each have their own water systems.
Denver Water
Denver’s source water contains fluoride from dissolved minerals in rocks. This means that fluoride concentrations naturally range from 0.08 mg/L to 0.90mg/L. The water treatment process removes a small amount of naturally occurring fluoride. Also, the South Platte River has some naturally occurring fluoride, which is occasionally high enough that Denver Water does not have to supplement it. Denver Water’s treatment plants only supplement fluoride when the concentration does not meet the HHS recommendations. As of January 7, 2011, the target level of fluoride in Denver’s water is 0.7 mg/L.
Arvada Water
Arvada gets most of its source water from the same aquifers as Denver Water, with some supply coming from Clear Creek. The area has its own treatment plants where the city adds fluoride. The fluoride concentrations in Arvada tap water range from 0.39 to 0.99 ppm.
Golden Water
Golden obtains its drinking water from Clear Creek. The water naturally has a level of fluoride of 0.67 parts per million. Because of this, the town does not provide any additional fluoride in its tap water.