Fluoride for Water Systems

This page is a resource for public water systems who fluoridate or plan to fluoridate.

Requirements for Water Fluoridation

• The State Board of Health updated and adopted WAC 246-290-460, fluoridation of drinking water on May 9, 2016. The major changes to the rule include:
  • Purveyors will notify the Department of Health (department) before permanently discontinuing fluoridation.
  • Optimization level is 0.7mg/L
  • New terminology:
    • Operating Tolerance – Daily sampling results must fall between 0.5 – 0.9 mg/L.
    • Off Measure – The drinking water certified laboratory results differ by more than 0.2 mg/L from the purveyor's analytical results.
  • Starting July 2016, purveyors must use the required department's Monthly Operating Reports listed below.
  • Starting in January 2017, water systems will be automatically enrolled in the fluoride optimization program (F-TOP).
  • Starting January 2017, water system's monthly fluoride performance will be tracked in the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Water Fluoridation Reporting System (WFRS). You can view WFRS data at “my Water's Fluoridation” portal listed below.
• Reports and forms—The required monthly operating reports (MOR), generated in an unprotected Excel format, can easily open the forms and customize them for your use.
  • Monthly Operations Report for Sodium Fluoride Saturators (Excel)
  • Monthly Operations Report for Fluoride Acids (Excel)
  • Fluoridation Monthly Operations Report Guidance (PDF)
• Program structure and optimization.
  • My Waters Fluoridation (MWF)—Allows people to learn about their community's drinking water fluoride levels. MWF also provides information on the number of people served by the water system, the water source, and if the water system fluoridates its water supply. The best source of information on fluoride levels in your water system is your local water provider (utility). All water utilities must provide their customers with an annual Consumer Confidence Report that provides information on a system's water quality, including its fluoridation level.
  • Fluoride optimization program (F-TOP) (PDF)
  • Fluoride overfeed instructions (PDF)

Contact Information

Andy Schut, Water Quality Assessment Specialist/Lab Liaison, at 360-236-3197