The installation of automatic water softeners—the kind that use salt or potassium chloride pellets—has been banned in the Santa Clarita Valley since 2003. Though the majority of households do NOT have automatic water softeners, many units continue to be used. Automatic water softeners discharge a salty waste into the sewer system that is treated by a process that does not remove salt and is released into the Santa Clara River. Too much salt in the river may potentially harm downstream agricultural crops. As a result of regulations requiring the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District (Sanitation District) to significantly reduce salt discharges, the Sanitation District may be forced to spend over $350 million to build a treatment plant to remove and dispose salt; quadrupling sewer bills up to $500 per household. The Sanitation District’s goal is to reduce salt in an environmentally-friendly, cost-effective and timely manner. A rebate program introduced in 2005 encourages owners to voluntarily remove their units. A new rebate program to launch this year will compensate residents for 100 percent of the reasonable value of their units and the reasonable cost of removal and disposal.

Rebate Program Information

Salt Free Water Conditioning Alternatives