LV water now officially fluoridated

Thursday, March 2, 2000 | 11:30 a.m.

The computer system at the Alfred Merritt Smith Water Treatment Plant at Lake Mead started injecting fluoride into the Las Vegas Valley's water system Wednesday.

Health officials and dentists praised the Legislative mandate that is adding 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million of fluoride. Local drinking water before Wednesday had naturally contained 0.2 parts per million.

Critics who say that fluoride has been linked to cancer, osteoporosis and brain damage protested the addition of fluoride during a demonstration outside the Las Vegas Valley Water District this week. They will continue to seek voter support via the November ballot to reverse the action taken by the 1999 Legislature.

"There is nothing nutritious about fluoride," said Geneva Marcus, a member of Grassroots, an organization protesting the addition of fluoride.

Marcus said her group had been on a petition drive to stop the addition of fluoride until after the November election. Now, she said, the focus will be on getting out the vote eight months from now to cease the fluoride operation.

The water district's start-up cost to add fluoride has been $160,000, and the annual cost will be $400,000.

Jesse Davis, spokesman for the water district, which neither supports nor opposes the addition of fluoride, says that the cost to consumers to add fluoride will be negligible.

"It's pennies to the consumer," he said. "We have been fielding a lot of questions (from the public) on both ends. This is not our legislation. We are simply complying with the decision of the Nevada Legislature."

People who support or oppose the addition of fluoridation can contact their state representatives or senators to voice their opinions, Davis said.

"We are concerned that we didn't get a choice before they added it," Marcus said.