When replying please quote: 8733872
7 March 2022
Ministry of Health
133 Molesworth Street
PO Box 5013
WELLINGTON 6140
Delivered by email to:
[email address]
Dear Sir
PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY WATER FLUORIDATION
In response to your enquiry dated 15 December 2021, we have reviewed our four community water
supplies of New Plymouth, Inglewood, Oakura and Okato and have established the rough order cost to
introduce fluoridation.
The New Plymouth water supply was previously fluoridated until 2010. We have inspected the
equipment which remains on site and found that it is no longer fit for purpose. We therefore consider
that a “new build” solution would be required. The remaining three supplies have never been
fluoridated. There are currently no plans to introduce fluoridation in the long term plan and no budget
has been provided.
In assessing how we might introduce fluoridation we have noted that the operational costs for small
supplies is disproportionately large in comparison to large supplies. The chemical of choice may be
different and due to small volumes required the cost of the chemical is higher than for large supplies.
The equipment required to dose fluoride and to monitor and control the dosing is essentially the same
regardless of the supply size, requiring the same operator input for calibration and validation of
instrumentation and similar maintenance of pumps, valves and controls.
The responses to your questionnaire are tabulated below.
New
Inglewood
Oakura
Okato
Plymouth
What is the status of fluoridation
Not
Not
Not
Not Installed
infrastructure? (select an option)
Installed
Installed
Installed
Are fluoridation capital works underway or No
No
No
No
planned? (Yes/No)
Expected date for completion of capital
works, if relevant (enter date) ie: respond if N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
answer to Column D was yes
Estimated capital works cost to fluoridate
$250,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
supply if a direction is issued (dollars)
Document Set ID: 8733872
Version: 2, Version Date: 08/03/2022
New
Inglewood
Oakura
Okato
Plymouth
Budgeted capital works costs to fluoridate
supply included in long term plans or
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
budgets (dollars and allocation year/s)
Estimated number of months that would be
required to fluoridate water supply if a
24
24
24
24
direction is issued
Mark Hall,
Name and contact details of key contact for
[email address]
Community Water Fluoridation
06 759 6060
Private Bag 2025, New Plymouth 4340
Previously
installed
fluoridation
decommissi
Any other comments
oned in
2011, and
no longer
fit for
purpose.
Yours faithfully
Mark Hall
Manager Three Waters
Document Set ID: 8733872
Version: 2, Version Date: 08/03/2022