Fort Irwin’s water permit requires Fort Irwin to notify the public quarterly of the following:
This is an alert about your drinking water and a cosmetic dental problem that might affect children under 9 years of age. At low levels, fluoride can help prevent cavities, but children drinking water containing more than 2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of fluoride may develop cosmetic discoloration of their permanent teeth (dental fluorosis). The domestic use water provided by the Fort Irwin water system has a fluoride concentration ranging from of 0.8 mg/L to 11 mg/L.
Dental fluorosis may result in a brown staining and/or pitting of the permanent teeth. This problem occurs only in developing teeth, before they erupt from the gums. Children under 9 should use the reverse osmosis water to avoid the possibility of staining and pitting of their permanent teeth. You may also want to contact your dentist about proper use by young children of fluoride-containing products. Older children and adults may safely drink the water.
Drinking water containing more than 4 mg/L of fluoride can increase your risk of developing bone disease.
Some people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of the maximum contaminant levels (California’s MCL is 10 µg/L) over many years may experience skin damage or circulatory system problems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. The domestic use water provided by the Fort Irwin water system has an arsenic concentration ranging from non-detected µg/L to 36 µg/L.
For more information, contact the Water Resources Manager, Fort Irwin DPW, at 380-4987 or P.O. Box 105085, Fort Irwin, CA 92310-5085 (located at building 602 on 5th Street). If you have questions concerning Fort Irwin Water System operations contact CH2MHill at 386-9706. Some home water treatment units are also available to remove fluoride from drinking water. To learn more about available home water treatment units, you may call the California Department of Health Services Water Treatment Device Unit at (916) 323-5600.