Marquette's municipal water system has been recognized for keeping fluoride in its drinking water, earning a national award at a time when some Michigan communities are moving in the opposite direction.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Sunday, Aug. 9, that Marquette received the 2025 Community Water Fluoridation Reaffirmation Award from the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors. The award recognizes the city for retaining fluoridation and maintaining consistent fluoride levels in its drinking water.
Marquette was one of four Michigan water systems honored. Bay Area Water received a 10-year award, while Jonesville and Schoolcraft earned 50-year awards for continuously maintaining fluoride levels. Michigan was among 26 states recognized for fluoridation longevity, according to SooLeader.
"Water fluoridation helps reduce and prevent tooth decay by 25% in children and adults," Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive, said in the announcement. "It is recognized as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century."
The Reaffirmation Award carries added weight given the national debate over fluoridation. Both Florida and Utah have passed laws blocking fluoride in water systems, and the practice has faced political pressure at the federal level, the Lansing State Journal reported. Closer to home, Grayling, Michigan, voted unanimously in May to end its decades-long fluoridation program, just 15 months after receiving a CDC award for excellence in community water fluoridation, according to ProPublica reporting.
Marquette is going the other way.
Two unnamed Upper Peninsula cities with a shared water system also held special council meetings this summer on whether to continue fluoridation, ProPublica reported. Michigan does not mandate fluoridation; the decision rests with local governments.
Water fluoridation began in the United States in 1945, when Grand Rapids became the first city in the nation to intentionally add fluoride to its water supply. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends a fluoride level of 0.7 milligrams per liter, a standard set in 2015, according to SooLeader.
A long-term study published April 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that people who drink fluoridated water have the same intelligence as those who don't, the Lansing State Journal reported.
No Marquette City Commission vote or public comment period on fluoridation is schedule
