Fluoride in Portland, TN
Three utilities serve Portland addresses, and all three run below the CDC recommended level. The city’s own plant runs lowest of all — at under two-fifths of the target.
Portland’s water is fluoridated — but Portland Water System’s own level is low: 0.27 mg/L (2024), far below the CDC recommended 0.7 mg/L. White House Utility District water averages 0.515 mg/L, and Castalian Springs-Bethpage delivers purchased water measured at 0.400–0.58 mg/L by source. All are far below EPA limits.
How this page works: the levels below come from the utilities’ own published water quality reports — Portland’s 2024 report carries its own fluoride row plus White House and Westmoreland data tables — not from a marketing claim or a guess. New to the topic? Start with our full fluoride guide.
Water quality in Portland
Curious about your tap water? Tennessee Water Authority has the full Portland water quality guide — contaminant data, utility details, and filter recommendations.
Portland’s fluoride, by utility
Everything on this page traces back to these facts, from each utility’s own published water quality report.
LEVEL Portland Water System — own plant
0.27 mg/L
Range 0.15–0.45 mg/L, quarterly samples, 2024 Water Quality Report. Far below the CDC recommended 0.7 mg/L — under two-fifths of it, stated plainly.
LEVEL White House Utility District water
0.515 mg/L
Range 0.45–0.71 mg/L in the 2024 data table WHUD supplied for Portland’s report. (WHUD’s own 2025 report lists 0.649 mg/L.) Below the CDC recommended level in both years.
LEVEL Castalian Springs-Bethpage — by source
0.400 / 0.58 mg/L
The district buys treated water and reports fluoride by source in its 2025 report: Gallatin-source 0.400 mg/L, Hartsville-source 0.58 mg/L. No single blended figure is published, so none is stated here.
STATUS Fluoridated — adjusted
Portland Water System and WHUD both add fluoride — their reports list the source as “water additive which promotes strong teeth.” Portland also occasionally purchases Westmoreland water (2024 average 0.583 mg/L, range 0.34–0.94).
UTILITY Three utilities serve Portland
Portland Water System (TN0000559, ~23,509 served) · Castalian Springs-Bethpage UD (TN0000097, ~13,883) · White House UD (TN0000745, ~104,872 system-wide).
SOURCE Creeks, lake, and purchased water
Portland treats Drakes Creek and City Lake surface water. WHUD treats Old Hickory Lake water. Castalian Springs-Bethpage delivers purchased Gallatin and Hartsville water.
How Portland’s levels compare
Portland has several verified levels, not one — so the table carries each system’s, next to the three benchmarks that matter, each labeled for exactly what it is.
| Benchmark | Level | How Portland compares |
|---|---|---|
| Portland Water System, 2024 | 0.27 mg/L | Range 0.15–0.45 mg/L. Far below the CDC recommended level — we won’t round it up to the target. |
| White House UD, 2024 | 0.515 mg/L | Range 0.45–0.71 mg/L. Below the CDC recommended level. WHUD’s own 2025 report lists 0.649 mg/L. |
| Castalian Springs-Bethpage, by source, 2025 | 0.400 / 0.58 mg/L | Gallatin-source 0.400 mg/L; Hartsville-source 0.58 mg/L. Both below the CDC recommended level. |
| CDC recommended level | 0.7 mg/L | Every Portland-area level runs below this — the city system at under two-fifths of it. |
| EPA secondary (non-enforceable) standard | 2.0 mg/L | All Portland levels are far below this guideline, which is aimed at preventing cosmetic effects like tooth discoloration. |
| EPA enforceable maximum contaminant level (MCL) | 4.0 mg/L | All levels are far below the legal limit. |
Portland Water System also occasionally purchases water from White House Utility District and the Town of Westmoreland (2024 average 0.583 mg/L, range 0.34–0.94 mg/L) to meet demand, so a Portland tap can occasionally carry purchased water instead of the city plant’s 0.27 mg/L.
Portland is not one water system
Three utilities serve Portland addresses, at three different fluoride levels — the city’s own 0.27 mg/L, WHUD’s 0.515 mg/L, and Castalian Springs-Bethpage’s purchased water at 0.400–0.58 mg/L by source. Check your water bill for your utility’s name before assuming any of these numbers is your number.
Do you still need fluoride toothpaste?
Yes — and this is the point people most often get backwards.
Fluoridated drinking water is background exposure. Every glass of water bathes your teeth in a low level of fluoride, and that steady, low-level contact genuinely helps enamel resist acid. But it is a base layer, not the main event. Fluoride toothpaste delivers a much more concentrated dose directly onto the enamel, twice a day, right where decay starts.
So brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. If you have been skipping fluoride toothpaste because “it’s in the water anyway,” the water was never carrying that load on its own.
Fluoride and kids: the amounts matter
Young children swallow toothpaste, so the ADA’s guidance is about using the right small amount — not about avoiding fluoride toothpaste.
UNDER 3 A rice-grain smear
For children under age 3, use a smear of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice. That tiny amount is deliberate — it protects the teeth while keeping what gets swallowed to a minimum.
AGES 3+ A pea-size amount
From age 3 up, a pea-size amount is enough. A ribbon of paste running the length of the brush is several times more than a child needs.
- Supervise brushing. An adult should be watching (and helping) until a child can reliably spit and rinse on their own.
- Teach spitting, not swallowing. Spit the toothpaste out when done; swallowing it as a habit is what the small amounts are designed to guard against.
- Don’t load the brush. More paste does not mean cleaner teeth — it mostly means more swallowed.
What about fluoride varnish at the dentist?
An in-office fluoride treatment or varnish is a much stronger, targeted dose than anything in tap water or toothpaste.
On Portland Water System water at 0.27 mg/L — far below the CDC recommended level — varnish remains worthwhile for kids and for adults at higher cavity risk: people with recent cavities, dry mouth, braces, or exposed tooth roots. The water gives you a thin base layer, and varnish tops it up exactly where a clinician can see it’s needed.
If your cavity risk is low, it’s also reasonable to ask your dentist to walk you through your risk before a treatment — in either direction, the decision should be explained, not automatic.
On a private well? None of this applies automatically
Well water is not fluoridated by any utility
Nobody adjusts the fluoride in a private well — or tests it, unless you do. Well water may carry naturally occurring fluoride, almost none, or more than you’d expect, and taste won’t tell you. This matters in Sumner and Robertson Counties, where a home can be minutes from a city main and not connected to it. Test your well water before assuming what’s in it, and tell your dentist you’re on well water so your fluoride plan is built on your actual water, not the city’s.
How to confirm Portland’s level yourself
Don’t take our word for it — the primary sources are public.
- Read Portland’s current water quality report. The Portland Water System 2024 report lists fluoride at 0.27 mg/L for the city system, 0.515 mg/L for White House UD, and 0.583 mg/L average for Westmoreland. A new report comes out each year; the newest one is the one to trust.
- Check CDC’s My Water’s Fluoride. The CDC’s system-by-system tracker at nccd.cdc.gov/DOH_MWF lists fluoridation status and levels for community water systems, including Portland Water System (TN0000559) and White House UD (TN0000745).
- Check whose name is on your bill. If your bill names White House or Castalian Springs-Bethpage instead of Portland Water System, that utility’s figure governs your tap — not the city plant’s 0.27 mg/L.
For the bigger picture — how fluoridation works, the arguments on both sides, and how to think about filters — see our full fluoride guide.
Questions people actually ask
Asked the way people actually ask them — answered from the sources cited below.
Yes — on the systems that treat water for Portland addresses. Portland Water System reported a fluoride level of 0.27 mg/L in 2024 (range 0.15–0.45 mg/L). White House Utility District, which also serves Portland-area addresses, reported 0.515 mg/L in 2024. Both systems add fluoride; the level at your tap depends on which system serves you — and Portland's own level is far below the CDC recommended 0.7 mg/L.
It depends on your utility. Portland Water System customers get 0.27 mg/L (2024, range 0.15–0.45 mg/L) — far below the CDC recommended level. White House Utility District customers get 0.515 mg/L (2024, range 0.45–0.71 mg/L). Castalian Springs-Bethpage customers receive purchased water its 2025 report lists by source: 0.400 mg/L for Gallatin-source water and 0.58 mg/L for Hartsville-source water.
It is low — under two-fifths of the CDC recommended level of 0.7 mg/L — and this page states that plainly rather than rounding it up. Portland Water System does add fluoride; the achieved level is simply well below the target. It is still far below both EPA standards: the secondary (non-enforceable) standard is 2.0 mg/L and the enforceable maximum contaminant level (MCL) is 4.0 mg/L. Brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste matters even more at this level.
Not necessarily. If your bill names White House Utility District, your 2024 figure is 0.515 mg/L. If it names Castalian Springs-Bethpage Utility District, your water is purchased Gallatin and Hartsville water, listed at 0.400 and 0.58 mg/L by source in the district's 2025 report. Portland also occasionally buys water from White House and from the Town of Westmoreland, whose 2024 average was 0.583 mg/L. Check whose name is on your water bill — that utility's report is the one that governs your tap.
Yes. Fluoridated drinking water is background exposure — it bathes your teeth in a low level of fluoride through the day, which helps, but it does not replace the concentrated fluoride that toothpaste delivers directly to the enamel while you brush. Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, and treat the water as a helpful base layer, not the whole defense.
The ADA's guidance: for children under age 3, use a smear of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice. For ages 3 and up, a pea-size amount is enough. Supervise brushing, teach your child to spit the toothpaste out rather than swallow it, and remember that more paste on the brush does not mean cleaner teeth — the small amounts are deliberate, because young kids swallow some no matter what.
For many people, yes — especially on Portland Water System water at 0.27 mg/L, far below the CDC recommended level. An in-office fluoride treatment or varnish puts a much stronger dose directly on the teeth, and it remains worthwhile for kids and for adults at higher cavity risk — people with recent cavities, dry mouth, braces, or exposed roots. If your cavity risk is low, ask your dentist to explain your risk either way rather than accepting or skipping it on autopilot.
No utility fluoridates private well water — nobody adjusts it at all. Well water can contain some naturally occurring fluoride, a lot, or almost none, and you cannot tell by taste. If your home is on a well in Sumner County, have the water tested before assuming anything about its fluoride level, and tell your dentist you are on well water so your fluoride plan reflects it.
Start with Portland Water System's current water quality report — the 2024 report is linked in the sources below and lists fluoride for the city system, White House Utility District, and Westmoreland. You can also check CDC's My Water's Fluoride, which tracks fluoridation status and levels by water system. If your bill names Castalian Springs-Bethpage, that district's report lists its purchased water by source.
Sources & method
- Portland Water System, Water Quality Report 2024 — fluoride 0.27 ppm (range 0.15–0.45, quarterly 2024), source “water additive which promotes strong teeth”; White House UD addendum table: fluoride 0.515 ppm (0.45–0.71); Westmoreland addendum table: fluoride 0.583 ppm average (0.34–0.94); system TN0000559; cityofportlandtn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1538/Portland-Water-System-2024-CCR-TN0000559-1.
- Castalian Springs-Bethpage Utility District, CCR 2025 — purchased-water fluoride by source: Gallatin-source 0.400 ppm, Hartsville-source 0.58 ppm (as verified in this site’s Gallatin research, 2026-10-21).
- White House Utility District, Water Quality Report 2025 — corroborating fluoride level of 0.649 ppm (range 0.46–0.90) in WHUD’s own report.
- Tennessee Water Authority, Portland water quality guide — three-utility structure, PWSIDs, purchasing relationships, and served populations; tennesseewaterauthority.com/portland-tn-water-quality-guide.
- CDC — recommended fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L for community water systems; fluoridation status and levels are also tracked in CDC’s My Water’s Fluoride.
- EPA — enforceable maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 4.0 mg/L and secondary (non-enforceable) standard of 2.0 mg/L for fluoride in drinking water.
- American Dental Association (ADA) — children’s toothpaste amounts: a rice-grain smear under age 3, a pea-size amount at ages 3 and up, with supervised brushing.
Method in one line: Portland’s levels come from the utilities’ own published reports — the city’s 2024 report for its own system, White House, and Westmoreland, and Castalian Springs-Bethpage’s 2025 report for its purchased water, presented by source because the district publishes no blended figure. We never name, rank, or recommend private dental practices.