An independent inquiry has been launched over the way Wellington Water has managed fluoride. Photo / 123rf
Last year fluoridation was turned off to Wellington, Porirua, and Upper Hutt's water supplies without residents being told. Senior journalist Georgina Campbell explains what happened and the serious questions Wellington Water is facing.
An independent inquiry has been launched following revelations the Wellington region has been supplied with low and inconsistent levels of fluoride in its water for four years.
Furthermore, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Wellington have been without fluoride in their water at all for several months.
It's the latest chapter in Wellington's water woes which spans broken sludge pipes, millions of litres of wastewater spilling into the harbour, and a sea of missed targets and response times.
The independent inquiry into the failure to properly manage fluoridation is expected to take eight weeks and is being led by Doug Martin of MartinJenkins.
Last week Wellington Water revealed its fluoride dosing facilities have been operating inconsistently for about four years because the infrastructure is getting old.
Instead of getting it fixed, Wellington Water has been managing the unreliable equipment by being "conservative" with the dosage of fluoride.
This was to make sure there was never too much fluoride in the water.
But the consequences of that decision has also meant there have been periods when there hasn't been enough fluoride in the water to be effective.
Wellington Water has described this approach as "monitoring and nursing" the facilities.
But recently the situation became untenable or "too onerous" as Wellington Water has put it. It's not clear whether there was a specific incident that triggered the company to come to this conclusion.
Wellington Water decided to commission a review of the fluoridation facilities, which confirmed what it already knew - the system was failing to perform as it should.
Exactly why fluoridation facilities supplying water to Wellington, Porirua, and Upper Hutt were switched off is where things have become murky.
Originally, Wellington Water said that due to the review's findings, fluoridation was switched off at Te Marua and Gear Island water treatment plants last month while work was undertaken to reinstate the service.
However, it turned out that the information was incorrect.
Fluoridation was actually stopped at Te Marua in May 2021 and at Gear Island in November 2021.
Since the findings of the review were only received in February (according to Wellington Water) the plants could not have been switched off due to its findings.
Wellington Water has clarified fluoride faculties at Te Marua were decommissioned due to a damaged baffle curtain.
This curtain is used to make sure the fluoride powder is mixed with the water supply correctly. It prevents powder clumping and gives operators control of the mixing ratio.
Wellington Water said the fluoride faculties at Gear Island were decommissioned due to structural concerns with the building but noted the dosing equipment was also ageing and no longer met acceptable performance standards.
Wellington Water is responsible for this failure but there are also serious questions facing those at a governance level.
Wellington Water is jointly owned by the Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt and Wellington city councils, South Wairarapa District Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
The councils own water assets like pipes and treatment plants. Wellington Water manages these assets for the council.
A representative from each council sits on the regional Wellington Water Committee, which provides overall leadership and direction for the company.
Wellington Water also has its own board of independent directors.
There are a lot of players in this game and fluoridation is everyone's problem to varying degrees.
Firstly it's Wellington Water's responsibility to fluoridate the water at an operational level.
It's also Greater Wellington Regional Council's problem because the council owns the bulk water supply assets where water is treated and fluoridated.
It then becomes the problem of Wellington, Porirua, and Upper Hutt city councils because they pay the regional council to supply fluoridated water to them.
The biggest question the city councils, regional council, and Wellington Water Board are facing is why did nobody know Wellington Water had turned the fluoride off?
How could they not know?
Fluoridation has been used throughout New Zealand for more than 60 years.
The World Health Organisation and other international and national health and scientific experts endorse water fluoridation as the most effective public health measure for the prevention of dental decay.
The Ministry of Health has described fluoride as a "constant repair kit" that neutralises the effect of acids that cause decay and helps to repair the damage before it becomes permanent.
Fluoride makes teeth more resistant by strengthening their surface, interferes with the growth of bacteria that causes cavities, and helps to repair the early stages of decay.
A 2009 oral health survey showed children and adolescents living in areas with fluoridated water have 40 per cent less tooth decay than those living in areas without.
The Ministry has said that despite widespread use of fluoride toothpaste and public provision of dental services for children, tooth decay was still the single most common chronic disease for New Zealanders.
Water fluoridation provides benefits over and above brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and eating a healthy diet.
Wellington Water originally said it would take between six and nine months to repair the equipment at the Te Marua treatment plant, which would return fluoride to Upper Hutt, Porirua and Wellington City.
Crews have been booked in to assess what's involved in either repairing the currently damaged baffle curtain there or replacing it.
At Gear Island, a detailed survey of the building where the dosage facilities are is under way. This is where the ceiling is in such a poor state it is not safe to even enter the room. Wellington Water is also investigating the condition of the equipment to understand if it can be recommissioned.
At the end of last week, a range of short-term and long-term solutions was presented to the Wellington Water Committee at a high level.
The regional council has funded Wellington Water to carry out repair work as a priority. It's not yet clear how much it's all going to cost.
Wellington Water has committed to providing the committee and the public with further details on the work as it progresses, including detailed project plans and timeframes.
Grant Robertson said Wellington Water has a lot of explaining to do.
The Deputy Prime Minister in his capacity as Wellington Central MP told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking the situation was ridiculous.
"I just cannot fathom what's gone on there, and Wellington Water has a lot of explaining to do, not only about the lack of fluoride but the incorrect statement they made about how long it's been since it's been in the water."
Robertson said this was one of many examples around the country that made the case for the Government's Three Waters reforms.
Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said it was "extremely disappointing".
"Fluoridation of drinking water is the most effective way to prevent tooth decay. Last year, as part of our Fluoridation of Drinking Water Amendment Bill, we passed legislation requiring those currently fluoridating their drinking water to continue to do so."
Wellington Water Committee chairman Campbell Barry said it was unacceptable.
"People can be assured there will be questions asked and there will be accountability and a plan moving forward to rectify it."
Wellington Water board chairwoman Lynda Carroll said the situation raised serious questions for the board.
"To discover that there have been issues in the plants for such a period of time without this being brought to our attention, and then to find out that there has been a failure to release accurate timelines and information that ought to give our stakeholders assurance is disappointing, to say the least."
Regional council chairman Daran Ponter said it painted a wider picture of ageing infrastructure.
"There's the issue not just of the fluoridation and the non-compliance of the storage facilities, but also access to one of the facilities being significantly restricted to the extent workers are not actually able to access the area in which fluoridation is currently held."
Wellington Water regulatory services director Charles Barker acknowledged the company could have communicated the fluoridation consistency issues to residents earlier.
"We're sorry for any concerns caused and we are working to resolve things as soon as possible."
Detectives flew to Victoria, NSW and Queensland as part of the investigation.