What is chloride?
Chloride is one of the two components of common table salt, sodium chloride. Scientifically it is known as the negative ion of chlorine. Chloride is also one of the two components of another common form of sodium chloride, rock salt.

Why is chloride a concern?
All wastewater generated at businesses, except for rainwater, goes into the sewer. In Santa Clarita, wastewater flows to either the Saugus Water Reclamation Plant or the Valencia Water Reclamation Plant for treatment. These treatment plants are not designed to remove chloride, so the chloride passes through to the Santa Clara River. The amount of chloride that the water reclamation plants can put in the Santa Clara River is being reduced by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.

What are the sources of chloride in wastewater?
Chloride is found in the drinking water that comes from your tap (both local groundwater and water delivered through aqueducts from Northern California). So wastewater contains chloride just from the water you drink. Another source of chloride in wastewater is water softeners that regenerate at their installed locations, called self-regenerating water softeners or automatic water softeners. Additionally, small amounts of chloride may also be added to wastewater via human waste, pools, cooling towers, boilers, and cleaning chemicals such as chlorine bleach.

How do water softeners add chloride to wastewater?
Water softeners exchange the calcium and magnesium (hardness) present in hard water for sodium. The calcium and magnesium adhere to resin in the softener. When the resin becomes saturated it is necessary to regenerate it. This is done by adding large amounts of sodium chloride dissolved in water to the resin. The sodium displaces the calcium and magnesium, which is flushed to the sewer in a briny solution along with the chloride from the added sodium chloride. When water softeners regenerate they produce a waste stream that contains significant amounts of chloride. Self-regenerating water softeners, which do this regeneration on-site, add chloride to the sewer system in Santa Clarita. Exchange tank softeners that are regenerated at centralized off-site facilities do not produce a similar burden on the Santa Clarita sewer system.

What is the alternative to self-regenerating water softeners?
If soft water is necessary for your business, you may use an exchange tank water softener that is regenerated off-site at a facility that can release salt discharges in accordance with a discharge permit. These types of water softeners are also known as canister-type softeners. There are local water conditioning businesses that offer exchange tank services. The cost varies depending on water usage and incoming water hardness, but for comparison an average single family home would pay approximately $30 to $60 per month for an exchange tank service.

What do I need to do as a business owner?
If your business is currently operating a water softener that regenerates on-site, you must immediately stop discharging brines from the unit into the sewer. If you put salt in your softener or pay a water conditioning service to add salt to the softener, then your softener regenerates on-site and can not be hooked up to the sewer. If someone changes out the tank in your softener on a regular basis, then you have an exchange tank system and can continue to use it. The Sanitation Districts’ inspectors already inspect local businesses to ensure that no self-regenerating water softeners are connected to the sewer and will continue to do so.

How can businesses in Santa Clarita continue to help to reduce the amount of chloride discharged to the sewer?
Commercial businesses in Santa Clarita are encouraged to use cleaning and sanitizing products that are chlorine-free or contain minimal amounts of chlorine. Additionally, businesses are encouraged to minimize the use of products that contain chloride that are washed down the drain after use.

What if I have questions?
Contact Districts’ staff member Dave Whipple at 562/699-7411, extension 2909.

LA County Sanitation District