Frequently asked questions
The Santa Clara Valley Water District, as the wholesale water supplier for the largest portion of the county, does not currently add fluoride to the drinking water it delivers. However, some local water retailers in Santa Clara County do add fluoride to the water they provide.
Why do some places have fluoridated water and others do not?
Not every drinking water system in California is mandated by law to provide fluoridated water (see “Who is responsible for implementing fluoridation” below). Some systems in Santa Clara County voted years ago to fluoridate while others have not.
How can I find out if my tap water is fluoridated?
The district does not currently fluoridate the water it sells to our retailer water providers. However, some of our retailers do add fluoride to the water before it is delivered to their customers' homes. To find out if you are receiving fluoridated water you should call your local water retailer. To find out who your water retailer is, look at the top of your water bill, or search here.
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How do I know if my child's school has fluoridated water?
The school should have this information. If not, your local water retailer (to whom you pay your water bill) may know.
What parts of the county have fluoridated water?
- The Evergreen area of San Jose served by San Jose Municipal Water System
- Parts of Mountain View served by City of Mountain View Public Works Department
- Areas receiving water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's Hetch Hetchy system (Los Altos Hills – Purissama Hills Water District, Palo Alto, Stanford University, Ames Research Center, and parts of Milpitas, Mountain View, north San Jose (Alviso), Santa Clara and Sunnyvale). Residents in those areas should call their local water retailer for details.
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Who is responsible for implementing fluoridation?
Authored by Assembly Member Jackie Speier, Assembly Bill (AB) 733 was signed into law by Governor Pete Wilson in October 1995. The bill authorizes the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to require large water systems to fluoridate their public water supply. It also directs CDPH to seek funding for fluoridation.
The California Fluoridation Regulations adopted by the CDPH were added to the California Code of Regulations (CCR - Title 22, Sections 64433 and 64434 ) in April 1998. These regulations apply to large systems with at least 10,000 service connections (The water district does not meet this criterion since we are a water wholesaler and have only 27 direct service connections). The regulations require that:
- Large systems with existing fluoridation practices continue fluoridating under more stringent regulatory requirements (i.e., concentration, control, monitoring, reporting and notification requirements)
- Large non-fluoridated systems start fluoridating when funding is made available.
What is Santa Clara Valley Water District's role in fluoridation?
We are a water wholesaler, providing drinking water to retail water companies and city-operated water utilities. As such, we are not required under AB 733 to fluoridate. Nevertheless, the water district board decided on Nov. 15, 2011 to fluoridate at our three water treatment plants and our Campbell wellfield. The next step is to identify funding and begin planning and design for new fluoridation infrastructure.
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