Water softeners that you put salt into are illegal.

The Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District won the unanimous approval Tuesday of the State Water Resources Control Board of important technical changes to the chloride (salt) compliance requirements. The changes will reduce costs to valley property owners and will prevent steep and recurring state fines, state penalties and potential federal fines.

State Water Board members commended the SCV Sanitation District and valley business and community leaders for their efforts to advance long-term water sustainability.

The SCV Sanitation District worked hard to secure these changes as part of its commitment to build the least expensive and most environmentally sound project to meet the state-mandated chloride limit for the treated wastewater that is discharged to the Santa Clara River by the valley’s two water reclamation plants. The changes include a four-year extension of the state’s construction deadline and averaging of discharge limits.

“We are extremely pleased that we received the State Water Board’s approval of these important cost-saving changes,” said SCV Sanitation District Chief Engineer and General Manager Grace Hyde. “If we can now secure the needed approval from the U.S. EPA, we will be able to save our ratepayers at least $11 million, because we would not have to build an expensive pipeline between the valley’s two water reclamation plants.”

The approved extension of the state’s construction timeline would prevent state penalties that Santa Clarita Valley property owners would have to pay, because the four-year extension gives the SCV Sanitation District the time needed to design and construct the advanced treatment facilities necessary to remove chloride from the valley’s treated wastewater. The averaging of discharge limits will reduce the cost of the proposed advanced treatment facilities.

Speaking in support of the proposed changes before the State Water Board were the Office of State Senator Fran Pavley, the Office of State Assemblymember Scott Wilk, SCV Sanitation District Board Member Laurene Weste, U.S. EPA Region 9’s Cindy Lin, Castaic Lake Water Agency General Manager Dan Masnada, Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Holly Schroeder, Building Industry Association – LA Ventura Chapter’s Mark Grey and SCVOneWater President Jeannie Duarte. Many expressed their strong commitment to continued collaborative efforts with the SCV Sanitation District, water agencies and others.

“This project will give us a source of very high quality recycled water that we can use to create local water sustainability in the Santa Clarita Valley and help reduce our dependence on expensive imported state water,” said SCV Sanitation District Board Member Laurene Weste. “We will keep working to secure funding and reduce costs, and any savings will be passed on to our ratepayers.”

The SCV Sanitation District is responsible for the treatment and management of all the sewage discharged to the sewer system in the Santa Clarita Valley.