The purpose of this website is to educate the community about the Santa Clara River's high chloride (salt) levels, and the reasons and options for reducing chloride levels.

The largest source of chloride in the Santa Clarita area is residences with automatic water softeners. These softeners generate a salty waste that is very high in chloride. Not including the chloride that comes from drinking water, residential automatic water softeners account for forty percent of the chloride coming into the treatment plants.

The goal of the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District (Sanitation District) is to reduce the amount of chloride entering the Santa Clara River, which flows through the Santa Clarita Valley and is the last natural river in Southern California. Wastewater generated in the Santa Clarita Valley, from actions such as flushing toilets and washing laundry, is sent to the Sanitation District's Saugus and Valencia Water Reclamation Plants for treatment. The treated water leaving the plants that is not directly reused for landscape irrigation and other applications is sent to the Santa Clara River. While the water reclamation plants provide a high level of treatment, they do not remove chloride. If levels of chloride go too high, they could harm wildlife or have a negative impact on downstream farms that rely on river water for irrigation.

While new automatic water softeners are illegal to install in the Santa Clarita Valley, approximately 3,900 homes continue to use softeners installed while it was legal to do so. (The exact number of automatic water softeners used in the community is unknown so this estimate represents the best available information at this time). If these softeners are not removed, the Sanitation District may have to install very expensive new treatment at the Santa Clarita Valley wastewater treatment plants to remove the chloride contribution from these units.

The Santa Clara River Chloride Reduction Ordinance of 2008, approved as Measure S by voters on November 4, 2008, requires the removal of all residential automatic water softeners by June 30, 2009. Residents affected by the ordinance that own their units are eligible to take advantage of the Automatic Water Softener Rebate Program.

Spread the message to your neighbors: Remove your automatic water softener today!