Richmond water superintendent demonstrates how the city adds fluoride to tap water

Dave, the water superintendent for the city in Richmond, demonstrated how the department adds fluoride to the municipal water supply and showed a distribution-sample reading of 0.63 milligrams per liter.

He opened the demonstration by showing one of the city's wells, which he said is about 800 feet deep, and pointed out two separate chemical rooms: one for chlorine and one for fluoride. "You want the fluoride and the chlorine separated," he said, explaining the physical separation is standard because the two chemicals are incompatible and "if you were to mix fluoride and chlorine together, you will have a reaction that is toxic to our operators." He also noted an exhaust fan activates when the room door opens to clear any fumes.

On equipment and process, Dave described controls on the fluoride pumps that allow staff to adjust "stroking speed and pump speed" to hit a disinfectant target. "So our our target is 0.7 milligrams per liter," he said, and added the department aims to stay within an effective range of about 0.6 to 0.8 mg/L. To check levels, he demonstrated daily sampling practices: "We sample for fluoride every single day, 365 days a year, as long as we are adding fluoride," taking samples from taps or hydrants spread across the town.

In the field test he showed the crew uses deionized water as a blank and an AccuVac reagent vial to prepare samples, then reads the result on a bench analyzer. He wiped the analyzer's glass with a Kimwipe to remove fingerprints, ran the test and said the sample read "0.63 milligrams per liter," which he described as within the department's stated target range.

The demonstration focused on operational details and routine monitoring; no policy decisions or votes were recorded in the presentation. The department did not provide a date in the recording and did not name additional staff on camera.