The NSW Ministry of Health has directed Port Macquarie-Hastings Council to commence fluoridation of the district’s water supply from Tuesday, February 21.
Wauchope residents will be the first to receive fluoridated water in the reticulated water supplies servicing the Wauchope, Beechwood, Rawdon Island, Sancrox and Thrumster areas.
The level of fluoride provided to the reticulated water supplies in the Port Macquarie and Camden Haven areas will gradually increase over the next six to 12 months.
Reticulated water supplies at the rural villages of Comboyne, Long Flat and Telegraph Point will not be provided with fluoridated water.
Director of Infrastructure Jeffery Sharp said construction of the fluoridation plant at Wauchope was completed in late 2011 following a directive by the NSW Ministry of Health to Council in 2004 to fluoridate the Hastings district water supply.
The construction of the fluoridation plant was funded by the NSW Ministry of Health.
“To ensure the standard of the facility is in line with similar council facilities in terms of operational health and safety and plant operation maintenance and reliability, council approved additional funding for duty/stand-by dosing pump arrangements and additional site and laboratory facilities,” Mr Sharp said.
Fluoride will be added to the water supply to achieve a concentration of 1mg/litre (1ppm) +/- 5 per cent (allowable range is 0.95ppm to 1.05ppm).
“The operation of the centralised fluoridation dosing plant will initially result in a gradual increase in the level of fluoride provided to the majority of water consumers supplied by the Hastings District Water Supply Scheme,” Mr Sharp said. “This gradual increase in fluoride content will be due to the initial dilution of the fluoridated water (1 mg/L of fluoride content) supplied from the Rosewood Reservoir site, which is piped into the Port Macquarie Off-Creek Storage Dam.”
The existing stored water in the Port Macquarie Off-Creek Storage Dam has a current natural level of fluoride of approximately 0.1 mg/L.
Based upon the current level of water demands, it is estimated that it could take between 6 to 12 months for the fluoride level to reach 1 mg/L in the water stored in the Port Macquarie Off-Creek Storage Dam.
This will also be the case when Cowarra Off-Creek Storage Dam is brought online to supply water directly to the Camden Haven area. The timing of this operational arrangement is subject to the completion of a new water supply trunkmain currently planned for completion by 2018.
Residents in Wauchope including Beechwood, Rawdon Island, Sancrox and Thrumster areas, who receive water directly from the Rosewood Road Reservoir, will be provided almost immediately with a fluoride content of 1 mg/L.
In accordance with the NSW Fluoridation Code of Practice, monitoring of the fluoride levels will be completed daily at the fluoridation dosing plant and weekly within the water supply reticulation systems at Wauchope, Port Macquarie and Camden Haven areas.
A weekly fluoride level test will also be completed for both the Port Macquarie and Cowarra Off-Creek Storage Dams.
For more information on fluoridation, visit Council’s website at www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au/fluoridation
