Vernal City Mayor Doug Hammond read a statement during Wednesday’s City Council meeting concerning a proposal to add fluoride to Uintah County drinking water. Mayor Hammond explained that the topic of fluoridation was not initiated by Vernal City or the City Council but by a group of local healthcare professionals who are gathering signatures in hopes of including the topic on the November ballot. The City has hired an engineering firm to estimate the cost of start up and ongoing fluoridation if the measure was passed in the election. The city purchases treated water from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District Plant on Dock Beach Hill. Mayor Hammond clearly stated that the Central Utah District has informed city staff that they will NOT allow the addition of the fluoridation process in their plant. This means that if passed during the election, Vernal City and other water providers in the valley would need their own separate facilities to fluoridate the water once it leaves the treatment plant and prior to customer use. Mayor Hammond encouraged residents and voters to become educated on the topic before signing the petition and to learn more about the cost to the city and residents.
