The City of Malibu, California, is taking steps to limit commercial and, eventually, private use of water softeners. Malibu residents should contact their City Council Members to voice their opposition to this misguided policy that will ultimately affect the water quality in Malibu homes and businesses. Your presence at the next City Council meeting is of the utmost importance. Your elected officials need to be made aware that they are taking away your rights to protect your home.
Next Malibu City Council meeting:
October 28, 2019, 6:30 p.m.
City Hall – Council Chambers
23825 Stuart Ranch Road
Malibu, CA 90265
What is at stake?
The City of Malibu is proposing to prohibit and eventually remove your self-regenerating water softener (SRWS). The proposed policy changes are the result of a misinterpretation of the regulations regarding the operation of the new Malibu Civic Center Wastewater Treatment Facility. The engineers and contractor of the new plant have made the restriction and potential removal of water softeners a condition of the plant’s operation. Under the proposed ordinance, installation of new softeners would be prohibited. In approximately a year, existing residential water softeners would be disallowed, meaning homeowners who have spent thousands of dollars to improve the quality of the water in their homes might be forced to remove their softeners. Bans or removal of SRWS’s have proven to be ineffective, at best. Tune-up campaigns and rebates to retrofit or modernize equipment have shown to be productive by increasing the efficiency of SRWS’s.
Why is this so important?
Three top reasons:
- Soft water is good for your home, increasing the life of appliances, fixtures, and water heaters
- Soft water saves money by keeping appliances at top efficiency; thereby using less energy
- You can lower washing temperatures and use less soap without a decline in performance
Research shows the benefits of softened water
A 2009 study commissioned by the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) and conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute found that adding a water softener to a residence helps water heaters and major appliances operate as efficiently as possible, while preventing clogs in showerheads, faucets, and drains.
As for water heaters, the researchers found that when they used softened water, the units maintained their original factory efficiency rating for as long as 15 years. Running hard water through the units cut efficiency by up to 48 percent. Scale buildup shortened the lifespan of the heating elements inside electric water heaters, with some tankless water heaters using hard water failing after just 1.6 years.
More information
For more information, please contact the Pacific Water Quality Association at info@PWQA.org. To reach the mayor and councilmembers, click here.
For the Malibu City Council Meeting Agenda, click here.