California Dental Association pulls funding to fluoridate Watsonville's water

California Dental Association pulls funding to fluoridate Watsonville's water
By Donna Jones, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Posted: 02/02/2012 08:19:40 PM PST
WATSONVILLE -- Fluoride won't be flowing from city taps -- at least not in the foreseeable future.
Thursday, the California Dental Association Foundation announced it would not pay to install a water fluoridation system as the price tag escalated well beyond original estimates.
That effectively ended a decade of often bitter debate over the project aimed at improving the community's oral health, though backers vow to continue the effort.
I believe this eliminates the city of Watsonville from being forced to fluoridate city water," said Councilman Daniel Dodge. "It's dead."
Under state law, jurisdictions with 10,000 or more water hookups must fluoridate if an outside entity provides funding.
But after the lowest bid for the project came in $1.2 million above the $1.6 million estimate, not including nearly $650,000 in additional programming and operation costs, the foundation bailed.

In an e-mail sent to the city Thursday, foundation leaders expressed regret at not being able to provide the grant due to the cost, but said they would continue to "work diligently" to identify funding.

Nick Bulaich and other foes have questioned the effectiveness and safety of fluoridation and see no reason for putting the additive in a community water supply. In 2002, the Watsonville resident spearheaded a voter-approved initiative to prohibit putting the chemical in city water, and has remained at the forefront of the fight.