“Does Sacramento Add Fluoride to Its Water?” Steve in Sacramento, CA Asks an Expert Plumber
Steve in Sacramento is worried about the purity of his water. He asks:
“I listen to a lot of podcasts because it’s an easy way to keep myself entertained while I’m doing other things, whether I’m at home cleaning up my house or at work filing some paperwork. It’s actually something that I recently heard in a podcast that I’d like to ask you guys about.
On one of the podcasts that I listen to, someone was discussing how some cities put fluoride in the city’s water, and that maybe this wasn’t the best thing for people. I know I’ve seen some activism around this too, people concerned that flouride in the water can actually bad for everyone’s health. So, I guess what I’m asking here today is, does Sacramento add fluoride to its water? And is there anything that you as a professional plumber can do to make water in our Northern California houses cleaner? Thank you so much for your time. I’m looking forward to your answer.” – Steve in Sacramento
What a coincidence, Steve! I’m a big fan of podcasts, too—although I suspect most folks are getting into them these days. I personally love listening to sports podcasts while I’m driving around to our many fine Northern California communities. Anyway, I’ve heard this question a few times before, so I’m happy to answer it here today on our blog. So let’s get right to the question: Does Sacramento add fluoride to its water—and what can a plumber help you do about it?
Does Sacramento Add Fluoride to Its Water? It Depends
Does Sacramento add fluoride to its water? It’s a complicated answer that varies depending on where you live. According to the Sacramento County Water Agency , no, groundwater that comes from wells does not have fluoride added to it. But, water that comes from our region’s rivers actually does. The question then becomes which of these sources do you get your water from.
For many folks in and around Sactown, their water tends to come from the rivers—so you would think the easy answer is that, yes, Sacramento adds fluoride to its water.
For many folks in and around Sactown, their water tends to come from the rivers—so you would think the easy answer is that, yes, Sacramento adds fluoride to its water. But, there’s another qualifier to this answer as well.
The Sacramento Suburban Water District, which supplies water to many of the neighborhoods in our area, reports that it only fluoridated water that goes to about half of its customers. Folks who live in the Sacramento district’s south service area get fluoridated water, while those who live in the north service area don’t.
Here’s a map that clears up what areas served by the Sacramento Suburban Water District get fluoridated water and which don’t. And while not every area has a map, a trained local plumber should know right off the bat which areas do and don’t, so I’d also suggest giving them a call.
Why Sacramento Adds Fluoride to Its Water Supply
I suppose the next natural question for curious folks like Steve is, “Well, what does it mean if Sacramento is floridating my home’s water supply?” Let’s answer that by first talking about what water fluoridation is.
According to the Center for Disease Control, or CDC, water fluoridation is an effort that is recommended for communities in order to prevent tooth decay.
According to the Center for Disease Control, or CDC, water fluoridation is an effort that is recommended for communities in order to prevent tooth decay. Fluoride is a naturally-occurring element found in many clean water supplies, and so water fluoridation by definition involves increasing the natural fluoride concentration found in drinking water to the optimal level for dental health, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As the CDC also notes, this is hardly a new thing, and many communities throughout the United States have been adding fluoride to water for 70 years.
What to Do If Sacramento Adds Fluoride to Your Water
The last part of Steve’s question was whether or not a plumber can ensure that a home’s water supply is clean. That answer, I can confidently say, is a definite yes. Folks ask me if their tap water is safe to drink all the time, or they ask me about filtration systems in their home for hard water. The simple answer is, there are all kinds of filtration measures that a plumber can help a homeowner out with.
Professional plumbers can help you invest in a water filtration system that will take care of purifying your water before it gets into your home so that you get the cleanest possible glass of water at the tap.
Professional plumbers can help you invest in a water filtration system that will take care of purifying your water before it gets into your home so that you get the cleanest possible glass of water at the tap. A professional plumber can also help you install a water softener so that you don’t have hard water, which can be troublesome for your pipes as well as for your skin and hair. Whatever the concern you have about water quality, a professional plumber can help you clean it up.
I hope Steve and anyone else wondering about this has all the answers they need now. Let’s recap, just in case. Does Sacramento add fluoride to its water? Well, it depends where you live, but for many of your curious homeowners out there, the answer is yes. They do it to help prevent tooth decay, as has been recommended by the U.S. Center for Disease Control.
The other question that Steve asked—can a professional plumber help me get cleaner water in my home—is actually one that’s near and dear to my heart. That answer, no matter where you live, is a resounding YES. I know we here at Bell Brothers certainly can. We can walk you through a host of fantastic filtration options and water softeners to ensure that you have the cleanest water possible coming from the pipes in your home.
At Bell Brothers, our trained plumbing professionals can help make sure that you have the cleanest and healthiest quality of water in your home for you and your family. Contact us today to schedule a free in-home consultation.
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Image courtesy Valua Vitaly