Does Waterloo water have chlorine or fluoride in it? Your Call the Courier questions

Q: I’ve been hearing about all the fires around the United States but I never hear anything much on the news about any fires in Canada. Are they having any fires in Canada?

A: Yes. In fact, most of the wildfire smoke in the U.S. is from multiple fires on the Canadian/U.S. border and the southwestern part of Ontario. There are also wildfires throughout the Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories provinces.

Q: How old was Chris Carter, he used to work for KWWL for 15 to 16 years and what did he pass away of? 

A: Chris Carter died at the age of 65 of natural causes on June 24, according to his obituary. 

Q: Does Waterloo water have chlorine or fluoride in it? 

A: The Waterloo Water Works adds fluoride, chlorine and orthophosphate to its water, according to its 2025 annual drinking water quality report. 

Q: There always seems to be numerous stoplights in Waterloo (63, 218, downtown, San Marnan) that blink red instead of operating normally and it’s not always the same ones. Is the city doing this intentionally, and if so, why? It’s made driving through Waterloo a bit annoying and the pessimist in me wonders if it’s a strategy to increase red light camera revenue.

A: Traffic signals may blink red for several reasons including thunderstorms, power disturbances, equipment malfunctions, maintenance or construction as a safety measure. Although the signals are maintained by the city’s traffic operations department, the red light cameras are managed by the Waterloo Police Department. Safiah Elahi, the city’s traffic operations director, said the signals and cameras are independent and the signals are not placed into flashing operation to generate camera violations.

Q: I see some signs up for Calvin Horn. Who is he and what’s he running for anyway? 

A: Calvin Horn is a Democrat running to represent Iowa House of Representatives’ District 76. The spot is currently held by Republican Derek Wulf, who is seeking reelection. The district includes parts of southern Black Hawk County, northeast Tama County and northwest Benton County.  

Call (319) 291-1550 to leave a voicemail or email newsroom@wcfcourier.com with your question.