RELATED: San Jose adds fluoride to water "When it comes to children, being preventative is just critical," says Cindy Chavez, Santa Clara County supervisor.
The facility is expected to be completed by August 2019 and could eventually serve more than 400,000 residents.
"We’re going to have the best opportunity we can to do this in a very effective and efficient way."
Advocates say fluoridation could help address some of the oral health challenges that residents face.
"Public water fluoridation has been studied for more than 50 years, and it’s been shown to reduce smooth surface decay, says Dr. John Pisacane, Willow Glen dentist.
"It makes the enamel stronger and resists dissolving by the acids in our mouth."
Opponents are skeptical over the safety of the mineral.
Some say the practice of adding fluoride to the public tap is essentially mass medication.
"There’s lots of things that might generally be good for people, that we could throw into their bloodstream, it wouldn’t be good for everybody, and the dose matters," says Wesley.
Roughly three-quarters of Americans are served by utilities that provide fluoridated water.

This time, lab results from a sample collected on Nov. 30 show high levels of microcystin, according to a news release from Thurston County.
“Microcystin is a liver toxin which accumulates over time,” the news release stated.
Never miss a local story.
Sign up today for unlimited digital access to our website, apps, the digital newspaper and more.
Children shouldn’t use the water for teeth brushing either, officials say.
“Our primary concern is for public safety,” said Thurston County Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood.
The health warning will remain in effect until samples are within safe levels for two weeks in a row.
A water station is open at Camp Thunderbird, 11740 Summit Lake Road NW.
Residents can bring containers to fill at the water station from 4 to 7 p.m. Last spring, the lake had an outbreak of Anatoxin-A, which is a neurotoxin, prompting Thurston County Board of Health to declare a state of emergency at the lake in May.
Lisa Pemberton: 360-754-5433, @Lisa_Pemberton

The storm and the heavy rains that followed overflowed drainage districts, cut off water and prompted hundreds of boil-water notices across the Gulf Coast.
More than a dozen boil-water notices remain in effect across affected areas.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality reports more than 3,700 people in those areas haven’t had clean drinking water since late August.
In Rose City, the city’s boil notice hasn’t been lifted because the plan hasn’t met TCEQ standards for pH levels and other chemicals, said Janice Ratcliff, the city’s water operator.
Running water returned to the city’s 600 residents in September, but it still requires a two-minute rolling boil before safe consumption.
"It’s been so touch-and-go," Ratcliff said.
It just makes no sense to remove the notice just to have to go right back on it."
Ratcliff said the city’s original goal was to have the notice rescinded for good by Thanksgiving.
But issues with insurance have pushed back installing the necessary equipment.
Mayor Bonnie Stephenson said that faith-based organizations have been working to provide Rose City with enough bottled water.

A recall of baby water that might have mold prompted the rare FDA consumer alert Monday evening.
After getting complaints of mold in the water.
Kroger tested the water and found Talaromyces penicillium.
It also warns that drinking water with that kind of mold can affect babies who have a damaged immune system.
Never miss a local story.
Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.
“Allergic reactions to molds are common and can happen immediately after touching or inhaling mold spores, or later,” the alert warns.
Molds can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs, even in people who aren’t allergic to them.” The water was sold in gallon jugs at Kroger, Kroger Marketplace, Food 4 Less, Jay C, Jay C Food Plus, Owen’s, Payless Super Market and Ruler stores mainly in the Midwest and South: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Anyone with this water should return it for a refund.
David J. Neal: 305-376-3559, @DavidJNeal

By Blake Nicholson / Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. — The Army Corps of Engineers and the developer of the Dakota Access pipeline must complete an oil spill response plan for the stretch of pipe beneath the Missouri River in North Dakota, a federal judge ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s order grants a request by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes for additional measures to protect the river’s Lake Oahe reservoir.
The tribes draw drinking water from the lake and also consider it sacred.
Completion of a response plan and additional pipeline monitoring are warranted while the Corps determines the pipeline’s impact on the tribes, the judge said in his ruling.
He ordered the environmental impact study in June.
Standing Rock Chairman Mike Faith applauded the judge’s decision, saying the pipeline “remains a clear and present danger.” Cheyenne River attorney Nicole Ducheneaux said the ruling acknowledges that the government and energy companies can’t be allowed to make decisions “without including stakeholders and the tribes to whom the United States owes a trust duty.” The $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline began moving North Dakota oil through South Dakota and Iowa to a distribution point in Illinois in June.
Texas-based developer Energy Transfer Partners maintains the pipeline is safe, and the company and the Corps had argued that tribal requests for additional protections at Lake Oahe were unnecessary or unwarranted.
Boasberg disagreed and ordered ETP and the Corps to work with the tribes on completing a spill response plan by April 1.
ETP must file bimonthly reports on the status of the pipeline.
“Each of the interim conditions is tailored to address the court’s ongoing concern with the risk of a spill at Lake Oahe,” said Boasberg, who added that the risk was “at the center” of his earlier decision to require more environmental study.

The Supreme Court in December last year, constituted a judicial commission to investigate the authorities’ failure to provide potable drinking water and improve sanitation across the Sindh province.
After completing the hectic six-week long proceedings and inspections, the commission submitted its130-page comprehensive report to the apex court, concluding that various water and sanitation-related projects had not been completed due to corruption, mismanagement and poor monitoring systems of the provincial government.
This matter started when a senior practicing lawyer Shahab Usto, submitted videos showing the state of water, disposal of sewage and waste in Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Kotri, Thatta, Badin, Mithi, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas and Karachi.
This was the first strong initiative and we should acknowledge it as a commendable action by a citizen of Pakistan.
According to the recent report released by the Supreme Court’s Judicial Commission on water and sanitation in Sindh, more than 75 percent people in Sindh drink unsafe water.
According to the recent report released by the Supreme Court’s Judicial Commission on water and sanitation, more than 75 percent people in Sindh drink unsafe water In addition to highlighting various dismal facts about the water and sanitation situation in Sindh, the report has declared that “water is life and access to unpolluted water is the fundamental right of every citizen”.
Despite the fact that the right to safe drinking water is declared a fundamental human right at the national and international level, a large number of people (71 percent) drink unsafe water in Sindh and continue to fight to survival against water borne diseases which include cancer.
While visiting these areas I had a talk with some of the locals, they said there was no source of clean drinking water and almost 98 percent population of their village is suffering from liver and stomach related diseases.
However, the Sindh Government allocated Rs 11.76 billion for development schemes which are meant to improve the provision of clean drinking water and sanitation in the province in the fiscal year 2017-18.
The JEC report highlighted that provincial authorities utilised 29 billion rupees on 1337 schemes of water supply and drainage during the last five years while 582 of water supply and drainage schemes out of 1337 are non-functional.

From daily trips to the campus Starbucks, to nights out in downtown Denver, many college students spend more than they intend to on beverages throughout the week.
However, what may seem like a small expenditure in the United States can really add up to something much larger across the globe.
The Wells Project, a new initiative at Mines, is challenging students to undergo a small sacrifice to make a big difference for families in Rwanda.
Each November, participants forego all beverages except water for ten days and then donate the money they would have spent on drinks to building water wells in Rwanda.
“The average American spends enough on beverages in 10 days to give a family of four in Rwanda water for 10 years,” Thomas explained.
In addition to providing clean water, the Wells Project also aims to teach locals about sanitation and bring new jobs to the area.
“Many people just aren’t aware of the diseases that are in the water that they are drinking and so they have a big celebration at the end when the well is ready to go.” Living Water International also hires local citizens to maintain the wells and troubleshoot any issues that might arise, which provides new jobs in the area and ensures that each well is a sustainable community fixture.
“It is a really tangible thing.
It is not money that is going to some fund and you never see the impact you have.” While Living Water International has projects all across the globe, the funds raised through the 10 days initiative go entirely towards constructing new wells in the district of Ruhango in Rwanda, which specifically helps women and children in the area.
While the 10 days project at CSM raised $1,769 this year, Thomas’ next goal for the initiative is to obtain Tier 2 status through the Board of Student Organizations so that all funds raised can go directly towards building new wells.

(Adds details in paragraphs 4-6, comment from judge in paragraph 7) WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) – A federal judge ordered Energy Transfer Partners LP to coordinate with local tribes and the Army Corps of Engineers to create an oil-spill response plan for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline by next April, a decision he said will allow oil to keep flowing and prevent spills.
The order on Monday by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg came nearly six months after he ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers review of the project, which transports oil from North Dakota near Native American reservations to Illinois, was inadequate before it granted federal permits.
In October the judge ruled that crude oil can continue to flow through the 1,170-mile North Dakota-to-Illinois pipeline while the review is conducted.
He asked the company to begin submitting bi-monthly reports later this month on safety conditions at the Lake Oahe pipeline crossing, the center of months of anti-pipeline protests last year.
The order met the requests of the Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes to get an independent, third-party auditor to share data obtained during the review.
"Although the Court is not suggesting that a similar leak is imminent at Lake Oahe, the fact remains that there is an inherent risk with any pipeline," Boasberg wrote in his eight-page order.
The Native Indian tribes have said the pipeline would desecrate sacred grounds and a spill could contaminate drinking water.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jeffrey Benkoe) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc.
The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy.
It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing a petition filed by Advocate Shahab Usto in the SC Karachi registry against the authorities for their alleged failure in providing clean drinking water and environment to the people in Sindh.
The SC had then appointed a two-judge bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, who had ordered the formation of a commission headed by a Sindh High Court judge for fair distribution of drinking water in the province.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, however, had last month raised concerns over the commission formed by the SC.
“Let judiciary take care of its own work.
During Monday’s hearing, Usto submitted before the court that the commission had surveyed the entire province.
“From Karachi to Kashmore, no citizen has access to safe and hygienic drinking water,” he claimed.
Sindh’s health secretary, chief secretary, home secretary, and managing director of water and sewage appeared in court along with other high-ranking officials.
He added that he can come to Karachi every week in order to find out who was responsible for the mismanagement in water distribution throughout the province.
The chief justice ordered the Sindh CM and former Karachi mayor to appear in court — the former will appear on Wednesday while the latter will appear on Tuesday.
“Water is one of the resources that our country is blessed with,” the chief justice remarked.

The chief justice was hearing a petition filed by Advocate Shahab Usto in the Supreme Court Karachi registry against the authorities for their alleged failure in providing clean drinking water and environment to the people in Sindh.
He claimed that almost 80 million people had hepatitis because of drinking polluted water.
The SC had then appointed a two-judge bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, who had ordered the formation of a commission headed by a Sindh High Court judge for fair distribution of drinking water in the province.
Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, however, had last month raised concerns over the commission formed by the SC.
"Let judiciary take care of its own work.
"It is the government’s responsibility to provide clean water to the public," Justice Saqib said, inquiring about what elected officials had been doing regarding the matter.
Sindh’s health secretary, chief secretary, home secretary, and managing director of water and sewage appeared in court along with other high-ranking officials.
The chief justice ordered the Sindh CM and former Karachi mayor to appear in court — the former will appear on Wednesday while the latter will appear tomorrow.
"Water is one of the resources that our country is blessed with," the chief justice remarked.
"We need to protect our resources."