Frequently Asked Questions

Answers obtained from Council via Local Government Official Information Act. 

The reticulated (potable drinking water) areas of Invercargill and Bluff are supplied with fluoridated water.

Sodium silicofluoride.

We target 0.7mg/litre.

The fluoride level is continuously monitored.

Continuously monitored fluoride analyser at the plant, checked weekly by accredited laboratory.

Wellington has 4 main wastewater treatment plants.

Moa Point – to a coastal marine area off Lyall Bay via submarine outfall.

Seaview – to the Waiwhetu Stream

Western – into Cook Strait near the Karori Stream mouth

Porirua – discharge at Ruketane Point.

There is no specific reference to fluoridation chemicals in the Coastal Permit.

 

The Coastal Permit is granted: “To discharge treated wastewater to water from a wastewater treatment plant”.

No. 

Sodium silicofluoride costs are approximately $25,000 per year.

Maintenance on machinery – probably in the order of $5000 per year.

Testing costs are absorbed in house as part of the ICC 3 waters operations.  Costed out it would be about $2000 per annum in lab costs and $1500 per annum in analyser maintenance.

$500/tonne for Hydrofluorosilicic acid

Sodium silicofluoride is at present about $2500/tonne.

Fluoridation started in 1963. No Referenda or conultations of any type since the start of fluoridation.

Previous Campaigns

March 2016

The Invercargill Council is upgrading its water treatment station. Ideal time to stop fluoridation as Council could choose not to include it in the new station.

 

May 2013

From Invercargill:  There was total of 335 submissions, 29 of these being oral submission. After a meeting with the council on Friday we were able to negotiate having a 2 hours, 10 minute presentation slot on Wednesday 8 May from 140pm to 4.05pm (15 minute break in between). We are going to play the ‘professional perspectives’ DVD and the ‘fluoride deception’ DVD. In between the two DVDs we are going to  have 6 oral submissions.

The submission topics we are looking at doing will be: Freedom of choice; Invercargill public perspectives/views on water fluoridation (based on the experience our group had in talking people about water fluoridation); harmful effects on babies; lowering IQ, Health conditions (thyroid); Topical use benefits; overseas perspectives/research of water fluoridation (western Europe etc)

Pro-fluoridation article in Southland Times 5th March 2013.

Invercargill uses sodiumsilico fluoride as its fluoridation chemical. In a tender document to Wellington Regional Council, fluoride chemical supplier D.C. Rosser says that “Invercargill Council before switching to Prayon SSF last year, experienced numerous problems with an alternative Chinese SSF supply that included caking, yellow discolouration, metal springs, plastic and cardboard in supplied product that frequently blocked their feed
mechanisms.”  See DC Rosser Tender0001.pdf