Capital costs for fluoridation plants and equipment depend on a range of factors, including the size, volume and population served by the plant and whether the claimed capital costs relate to a new build, upgrade or retrofit. Consequently, there is no standard cost of installing fluoridation systems in water treatment plants. The most recent capital reimbursments made by the HSE to local authorities were €4,426, €14,450 and €25,286 in respect of 3 medium sized plants and €621,192 for a larger plant serving a population of over 170,000. The main types of equipment purchased include bulk tank, bulk tank bund, day tank, day tank bund, weighing scales, dosing pump, dead man's handle and shower unit but this list is not exhaustive. Local authorities have been requested to ensure, as far as practicable, that provision for fluoridation equipment is included in the tendering process for the procurement of new water treatment infrastructure or the upgrading of existing facilities. Procurement in this manner should ensure a more cost effective outcome compared to tendering separately for such equipment.
The most recent independent national audit of the fluoridation process at water treatment plants was commissioned by the Irish Expert Body on Fluorides and Health and conducted in 2008-2009. The cost of the project was €232,000. Figures given in a previous Parliamentary Question for operational costs, capital costs and the supply of hydrofluorosilicic acid do not include the cost of the audit.
