Officials to look at fluoride storage risks

Concern raised Wednesday over a chemical spill into a Salt Lake County stream two years ago has prompted state regulators to take another look at what precautions are in place for storage of the hazardous substance.

An accidental release of up to 2,500 gallons of flurosilicic acid happened in 2007 at the Parleys Canyon treatment plant at the base of Mountain Dell Reservoir. That substance is an artificial concentrate from which fluoride is derived in minute amounts and delivered in fluoridated water systems.

But Lorna Rosenstein of Waterwatch of Utah told members of the State Water Development Commission that storage of mass quantities of the chemical next to wells and water delivery systems poses an unacceptable risk.

Waterwatch of Utah is an anti-fluoridation group that unsuccessfully tried to remove fluoride from Davis County water in 2004, when county residents voted a second time on the additive. However, as they did in 2000, Davis voters narrowly approved fluoridating their water.

Rosenstein's assertion was disputed by representatives of two health departments who said concerns are overblown.

"It is easy to throw out a lot of questions and what ifs but the actual risk involved is not anywhere near what Mrs. Rosenstein portrayed," said Lewis Garrett, executive director of the Davis County Department of Health.

"It's disingenuous and incorrect to suggest that the health benefits of fluoride are outweighed by this minimal risk," he added.

But Rosenstein's extensive presentation — drawn from a binder replete with color-coded tabs, graphics, the chemical breakdowns and an outline of government response to the spill — led the board to direct the Department of Environmental Quality to explore what regulations are in place.

Of concern is the frequency of inspections of facilities where the chemical is stored and what steps have been taken to ensure those storage protections are stringent enough to safeguard drinking-water supplies.

Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, brought up the issue of how often facilities are inspected, noting that the passage of time can erode integrity of water delivery infrastructure.

"I'd like to know how often these facilities are required to be inspected and maintained," he said.

In the 2007 spill, a rupture from the storage tank necessitated pumping 53 million gallons of untreated water from the reservoir into the stream, Rosenstein noted.