Official Information Request - fluoridation of water supplies

Sent: Wednesday, 27 September 2023 10:26 am
Subject: Official Information request - fluoridation of water supplies

I refer to your Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request of 6 September 2023 regarding the directive to add fluoride to water supplies in the Rotorua area and provide the following information as per your request:

1. What water supplies are going to have the chemical added within the Rotorua District.
   Rotorua Central and Rotorua East (including the Lake Ōkāreka community).
2. Has the council performed a hazard assessment in regards to persons exposure to the chemical including but not limited to ingesting, bathing, or inhalation. If so please provide a copy.
   No. However, for your information this Council has requested clarification from the Ministry of Health (MOH) on their view of concerns raised about potential health risks associated with fluoridation of water supplies. The advice from the MOH is that they remain confident and consistent in their advice that fluoride in drinking water, at the suggested concentrations, does not represent a material health risk to the community. They also advise that they are committed within their statutory responsibilities to monitor national and international evidence to ensure that their instructions (in the form of the Directive) are appropriate and evidence based.
3. In legal terms is the addition of this chemical considered medication. If so please provide references to the Acts Statutes and legislation that were relied upon in the decision.
   The Director-General of Health made the decision to issue the directive to add fluoride to the two water supplies above. This question is best referred to the Ministry of Health.
4. Provide the make and model of the chemical dosing pumps, auto valves, flow meters, pressure sensors, and controllers associated with the dosing system.
   This information is not known at present. Tenders for the supply and installation of this equipment will be sought from suitable suppliers when the design has been approved by the MOH. The design and operation of the systems will be in accordance with the “Water New Zealand - Code of Practice for Fluoridation of Drinking Water Supplies in NZ - February 2023”.
5. Provide the name of the company, and the position and required qualifications of the person or persons who will be monitoring and maintaining the dosing equipment.
   Rotorua Lakes Council’s Infrastructure and Environment Group and its contractor Infracore will be monitoring and maintaining the dosing system, as we currently do along with the UV and chlorine disinfection, filtration and pumping systems that are currently managed and operated in accordance with the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules and Drinking Water Standards.
6. Provide a copy of the required maintenance and monitoring schedule of the chemical dosing equipment.
   The detailed maintenance and monitoring schedules will be confirmed once the final design is adopted. Management, operation and monitoring of the fluoridation system will also be in accordance with the “Water New Zealand - Code of Practice for Fluoridation of Drinking Water Supplies in NZ – February 2023”.
7. Provide the name of the company that will be performing independent testing of water quality specifically the concentration of the chemical in the water supply, where the sample points are, and the frequency that this testing will be done.
   Rotorua Lakes Council’s Environmental Laboratory currently undertake quality monitoring for determinands as required to comply with the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules and the Drinking Water Standards. They are ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited for biological, chemical, and drinking water testing. Most of the fluoride quality control will be carried out via continuous online monitoring equipment, but any manual sampling in the treatment process or in the network will be carried out by the same laboratory. The required sampling programme is yet to be finalised but will as a minimum comply with the abovementioned Code of Practice.
8. Does New Zealand independently test the composition and concentration of the chemical vessels before attaching to water supplies.
   Design and construction of equipment will be undertaken and monitored by suitably qualified professional engineers and will comply with the relevant New Zealand Standards. The fluoride used will comply with the “Water New Zealand Good Practice Guide – Supply of Fluoride for Use in Water Treatment”.
9. Can a resident get a sample of the water at their property tested for concentration of the chemical.
   Yes, Rotorua Lakes Council can arrange this testing. However, the monitoring programme we will have in place is likely to include monitoring of fluoride concentrations within the network as well as at the point of leaving the treatment plants. Individual requests for additional testing may incur a cost to the requestor.

The above mentioned Code of Practice for Fluoridation of Drinking Water Supplies in NZ - February 2023 is available online at the following link - https://www.waternz.org.nz/Article?Action=View&Article_id=2424

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this response/decision. The Ombudsman’s Office can be contacted by calling 0800 802 602, emailing info@ombudsman.parliament.nz, online at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz, or by post to The Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.

Publication of responses to LGOIMA requests

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Regards