What is the issue? Living in the desert southwest, we all have an obligation to conserve water. Each and every one of us can take a small role in the water conservation effort through some simple and cost effective measures. Most of us utilize conventional salt water softeners to remove the hardness of our water. What most of us do not realize is that salt water softeners waste approximately 1600 gallons of water per household per month due to regeneration of the water softening resin with salt solution. The regeneration process also of a typical water softener discharges 600-2,000 pounds of salt each year (source: Central Arizona Salinity Study). The salt discharge enters our sewer systems, increases the salinity of our wastewater which is ultimately treated and utilized for crop and landscape irrigation, golf course irrigation, cooling towers and recharge into the aquifers. Millions of dollars is invested into removing the salinity and ultimately dealing with the brine disposal.
How can we each do our part? There are other alternatives to conventional water softening technology that reduce water usage and result in minimal to no salt discharge. These alternatives include ion exchange resins that are regenerated off site, magnetic water softener, and the like. Rayne Water Systems in Phoenix offers a local source for ion exchange resin media water softeners that can replace existing water softening technology. Rayne will replace the resin tank every 2 to 3 weeks with a new tank at a nominal cost per month. Water consumption is reduced as well as salt discharge to the sewer.
Who is doing it? Santa Clarita has already made bold steps to require all residents to remove conventional salt water softeners and other California cities are on the midst of doing so as well.
Learn more about salinity in this video, “Seeping through the Desert.”
