(a) Notwithstanding subdivision (d) of Section 116786, the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District, or any successor district, may, by ordinance adopted subsequent to an ordinance adopted pursuant to Section 116786, require the removal of all installed residential self-regenerating water softeners, if the district makes all of the following findings and includes those findings in the ordinance:

(1) The removal of residential self-regenerating water softeners is a necessary and cost-effective means of achieving timely compliance with waste discharge requirements, water reclamation requirements, or a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) issued by a California regional water quality control board. In determining what constitutes a necessary and cost-effective means of achieving compliance, the district shall assess all of the following:

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(A) Alternatives to the ordinance.

(B) The cost-effectiveness and timeliness of the alternatives as compared to the adoption of the ordinance.

(C) The reduction in chloride levels to date resulting from the voluntary program implemented pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (c).

(D) The potential reduction in chloride levels expected as a result of the program implemented pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c).

(2) The district has adopted and is enforcing regulatory requirements that limit the volume and concentrations of saline discharges from nonresidential sources to the community sewer system, to the extent that is technologically and economically feasible.

(3) Based on available information, sufficient wastewater treatment capacity exists in Los Angeles County to make portable exchange water softening services available to residents affected by this ordinance.

(4) Based on available information, the adoption and implementation of the ordinance will avoid or significantly reduce the costs associated with advanced treatment for salt removal and brine disposal that otherwise would be necessary to meet the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for chloride, established by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region, for Reaches 5 and 6 of the Santa Clara River, in Los Angeles County that took effect May 4, 2005.

(b) (1) An ordinance adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall not be effective until it is approved by a majority vote of the qualified votes cast in a regularly scheduled election, following the adoption of the ordinance, held in the district’s service area, in a referendum in accordance with applicable provisions of the Elections Code.

(2) Information regarding the projected cost differences between advanced treatment for salt removal and brine disposal without the removal of installed residential self-regenerating water softeners, alternatives identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), and the removal of installed residential self-regenerating water softeners shall be included in voter information material.

(c) (1) Prior to the effective date of any ordinance adopted pursuant to subdivision (a), the district shall make available to owners of residential self-regenerating water softeners within its service area a voluntary program to compensate the owner of the appliance for 100 percent of the reasonable value of the removed appliance, and the reasonable cost of the removal and disposal of the appliance, both of which shall be determined by the district, with consideration given to information provided by manufacturers of residential self-regenerating water softeners and providers of water softening or conditioning appliances and services in the district’s service area regarding purchase price, useful life, and the cost of installation, removal, and disposal.

(2) On and after the effective date of any ordinance adopted pursuant to subdivision (a), the district shall make available to owners of residential self-regenerating water softeners within its service area a program to compensate the owner of the appliance for 75 percent of the reasonable value of the removed appliance, and the reasonable cost of the removal and disposal of the appliance, both of which shall be determined by the district, with consideration given to information provided by manufacturers of residential self-regenerating water softeners and providers of water softening or conditioning appliances and services in the district’s service area regarding purchase price, useful life, and the cost of installation, removal, and disposal.

(3) Compensation pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) shall only be made available if the owner disposes of the residential self-regenerating water softener and provides written confirmation of the disposal, which may include, but is not limited to, verification in writing provided by the franchise refuse hauler that provides the service of removing the appliance or verification in writing of the appliance’s destruction by the party responsible for its recycling or final disposal.

(4) If the owner of a residential self-regenerating water softener is in the business of renting or leasing residential self-regenerating water softeners, the owner may voluntarily waive compensation pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2), and shall not be required to dispose of the appliance if the owner provides the district with written confirmation that the appliance has been removed from the home within the district’s service area for use in a location outside the district’s service area.

(5) The terms of compensation included in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be included in an ordinance adopted pursuant to subdivision (a).

(6) (A) Upon the request of the district, the providers of water softening or conditioning services and appliances to residents of the district’s service area shall provide the district, within 60 days, copies of purchase agreements or receipts, or any other specific records of sales of residential self-generating water softeners in the district’s service area.

(B) The information in this paragraph shall remain protected and confidential in accordance with applicable provisions of the Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).

(d) Any ordinance adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) and approved in accordance with subdivision (b) shall not take effect until January 1, 2009.

(e) For purposes of this section, “residential self-regenerating water softeners” and “appliances” mean residential water softening or conditioning appliances that discharge brine into the community sewer system.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 615, Sec. 281. (AB 474) Effective January 1, 2022. Operative January 1, 2023, pursuant to Sec. 463 of Stats. 2021, Ch. 615.)