After sourcing $6.6 million in funding for water fluoridation in November with a public-private partnership, the Santa Clara Valley Water District in California this week endorsed a funding plan to fluoridate the water supply for most of San Jose, the largest U.S. city without fluoridated water.
The project is estimated to be two years from completing water plant retrofitting, according to an article in the Mercury News.
However, San Jose Water Co., the district's largest customer, has yet to source an additional $18 million needed to retrofit dozens of the company's wells, the article noted. Until that project is completed, the water supplied by the district will have a diluted amount of fluoride.
In addition, the three nonprofits involved -- Health Trust, First 5 Santa Clara County, and the California Dental Association Foundation -- have to sort out the details of their $2.4 million contribution. Then the district will have to approve the portion it is paying for its 2014 budget.
Monthly water bills for customers in the district will increase by about $0.50, the article stated.
