CDC Web Site Now Provides Information on Water Fluoride
October 10, 2007October 30, 2002—People seeking information on whether their water system is fluoridated can now find out by visiting a new Web site at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The new feature, My Water's Fluoride, allows consumers in participating states to check out basic information about their water system, including the number of people served by the system and the target fluoridation level. Optimal levels recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service and CDC for drinking water range from 0.7 parts per million (ppm) for warmer climates to 1.2 ppm for cooler climates to account for the tendency for people to drink more water in warmer climates.
States that are currently participating include Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
"One of the recommendations of last year's CDC report, Recommendations for Using Fluoride to Prevent and Control Dental Caries in the United States, was to provide people with information about the fluoride content in their community's drinking water," said Dr. William R. Maas, a dentist and director of CDC's oral health program. "This new feature will make it easy for consumers to find this out. It will aid both consumers and health professionals in determining the fluoride content of their drinking water so they can assess whether additional sources of fluoride should be used to help prevent tooth decay."
One of the recommendations of the 2001 CDC Fluoride Recommendations was for parents of young children under age 6 to know the fluoride concentration in their child's drinking water in order to consider whether to change their child's fluoride intake. In some communities where the natural fluoride concentration is below optimal levels, this could mean considering fluoride supplements, while in communities where the fluoride level is above 2 parts per million, parents may want to use alternative sources of drinking water for young children.
A second new feature is Oral Health Maps, a geographic information system (GIS) application. These maps provide state or county profiles with selected demographic and water fluoridation information for participating states. Both new features obtain their data from the Water Fluoridation Reporting System (WFRS), a Web-based monitoring tool for state and tribal oral health and water fluoridation managers.
Fluoride, a naturally occurring element in the environment, is known to be effective in preventing tooth decay in children and adults. Over the past several decades, fluoridation has played an important role in the dramatic reduction of tooth decay and has been identified by CDC as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.
Family’s Fortieth Quite an “Af-Fair”
June 12, 2007You might think that Bob Hawkins never dreamed that his ideas for his water treatment company would turn out this way, but he did dream it – and now the dream is a reality. This year as Hawkins Water Tech makes its final preparations for the Elkhart County 4H Fair, they do so with an extra bit of excitement, for this year marks Hawkins Water Tech’s 40th Anniversary of doing business in Elkhart County.
Bob and his wife Nancy founded Hawkins Water Tech. in 1967. At that time, water treatment was a newer technology that people were beginning to utilize, but most without understanding the functionality and full benefit of such a system. Bob and Nancy knew that by asking people what they wanted or needed from a water treatment system made matching a system to an individual household a much easier task that resulted in much more satisfaction with the installed system.
As with many family start-up businesses, the Hawkins’ first office was located in their home’s garage, to save expenses and have easy access to work long hours. Soon, however, business grew to the size that a permanent structure was needed, so the Hawkins moved into their first building in Middlebury. By this time, word of the Hawkins’ reputation for exceptional customer service had spread and so trucks and employees were added to meet demand. In 1980, Bob and Nancy’s son Dave began to work in the business he had grown up with literally in his backyard. Dave enjoyed the business as much as his mom and dad and understood the business philosophy that was the underpinning of their success. The Hawkins Family was growing along with the business and in 1985, son-in-law Jim Freeze joined the organization.
Services offered by the company have expanded as well to include residential and commercial applications. In-home installations have grown to include Reverse Osmosis (RO) drinking water systems and carbon filters for specific iron density situations. Commercial products range from bottled water coolers, to water treatment for large school campuses, to Deionization Filters for treatment of water used in high-tech manufacturing and medical and dental offices.
By the end of 2003, growth had continued at such a pace that it was necessary to relocate the business to a 15,000 square foot facility at 929 South Main Street in Middlebury. The move took place in the spring of 2004 and provided a much-needed 25 percent increase in office space and tripled warehouse space.
In December of 2004, the business stepped into its next phase of life. Bob and Nancy sold the business to Dave and Jim. Dave and Jim’s experience allowed for a seamless transition of operations and continuation of the company philosophy into the 2nd generation.
And now this family prepares for an annual event that has become a valued part of their business tradition – the Elkhart County Fair. “The Fair is a great place to celebrate our 40th anniversary.” explains Dave. “We see so many of our customers in one place. It gives us a chance to catch up and to thank people for our success.” This year, in honor of their 40th, Hawkins will be distributing the two of the most popular give away items they had offered over the years – pan scrapers and mini-flyswatters. “Pan Scrapers are mentioned almost everywhere we see folks.” Jim says, “And people like to carry the mini-flyswatters in their RV’s when camping.”
Everyone in the Hawkins Water Tech. business family hopes that you will enjoy this year’s Elkhart County Fair. Stop by and see them in the Commercial Building exposition.