Fluoride levels high in Española

For years, the city of Española’s water has contained elevated levels of naturally-occurring fluoride.

On March 14, the City of Española posted a public notice on the city’s website about fluoride levels in the water system. It showed test results from three fluoride tests at what is called the Miox tank #4 (where water from various wells are blended) from December 2016, July 2017 and January 2021 that showed concentrations (in milligram per liter) of 2.92, 2.29 and 3.28, respectively.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, drinking water with fluoride concentrated higher than 4 mg/L can increase risk of skeletal fluorosis, a condition characterized by pain and tenderness of the major joints. Concentration above 2 mg/L can result in discoloration and pitting of permanent teeth if consumed by children in the year before teeth emerge. The EPA requires public water systems to take action to keep fluoride concentration below 4 mg/L, but if fluoride concentration is above 2mg/L but below 4 mg/L, it requires public notice “as soon as practical but no later than 12 months from the day the water system learns of the exceedance.”

The City’s March 14 public notice states, “We are continuing to monitor fluoride levels. We will inform you if they exceed the level of 4 mg/L. The City of Española received an exceedance notification from NMED on 3/19/2021.”