Fluoride in Drinking Water in Northwest Arkansas
Fluoride reaches drinking water two ways: it occurs naturally in some groundwater, and many public water systems add it deliberately as a public health measure.
Some people want to reduce the fluoride in their drinking water. We are not going to tell you what to think about that — the public health question belongs to public health bodies and your dentist and physician, not to a filtration company. What we can do is explain accurately where it comes from, how to find out what is in your water, and which technologies actually reduce it.
Common symptoms
People describe this problem to us in these ways. You may recognise several, or only one.
- None. Fluoride is colourless, tasteless and odourless at the concentrations found in drinking water
- Naturally high fluoride, which is uncommon, can cause dental fluorosis — a dental question rather than a water-appearance one
Potential causes
Deliberate addition by a public water system
Community water fluoridation is a decision made at state and local level. Whether your system fluoridates is stated in its annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Natural occurrence in groundwater
Fluoride-bearing minerals dissolving into groundwater. Levels vary by geology and are occasionally naturally high in some regions.
Nothing else, in practice
Unlike most contaminants, there is rarely an industrial or accidental source in household water.
This one requires testing to confirm
If you are on a public water system, you do not need to pay for a test: the annual Consumer Confidence Report states the fluoride level and whether it is added. Every community water system in Arkansas publishes one.
If you are on a private well, fluoride is naturally occurring and only a laboratory test will tell you the level. It is not usually part of a basic panel, so it has to be requested specifically.
Treatment technologies commonly used
Which of these is right depends on what your water actually measures. These are the technologies genuinely used for this problem, not a list of everything we sell.
Reverse Osmosis Systems
RO is the most common household approach. Look for certification under NSF/ANSI 58 specifically listing fluoride reduction, since not every RO membrane is certified for it.
Under-Sink Drinking-Water Systems
Some specialised media, such as activated alumina or bone char, are used for fluoride. Standard carbon is not a fluoride technology.
Drinking-Water Filtration
Comparing the point-of-use options.
Water Testing
Establishing the level, for a well.
What does not reduce fluoride: standard activated carbon filters, water softeners, sediment filtration, and boiling — which, as with nitrate and arsenic, concentrates it. If reducing fluoride is your goal, the equipment has to be selected and certified for that purpose.
Questions we are asked about this
Does my city add fluoride to the water?
Check your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report, which states whether fluoride is added and at what level. It is published every year and is usually available on the utility's website.
Will a carbon filter remove fluoride?
No. Standard activated carbon does not meaningfully reduce fluoride. Products claiming otherwise without a certification naming fluoride should be treated with suspicion.
Should I remove fluoride from my water?
That is genuinely your decision and one worth discussing with your dentist or physician, particularly where children are concerned. We will fit equipment that reduces it if that is what you want, and we will not use scare tactics to sell it to you.
Does reverse osmosis remove all fluoride?
RO substantially reduces fluoride, and the specific percentage depends on the membrane, the pressure and the incoming concentration. Look at the performance data sheet for the model rather than accepting a general claim.
We work across Northwest Arkansas
City water and private wells, in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties.