Hard water’s unpleasant effects: dingy clothes, deposits on glassware and cooking utensils, scale buildup in pipes and on fixtures, and more. It’s not surprising that water softeners are a popular household item.
Besides softening water for these effects, it can also extend the life and improve the efficiency of water heaters, dishwashers, and other appliances, which potentially saves on water, energy, and detergent use.
Yet, a major drawback of salt-based ion-exchange water softeners is the chloride they produce and discharge into septic or sewage systems. Chloride from salt can seep into and pollute groundwater from on-site septic systems. Chloride also enters the environment via wastewater treatment facilities. Because facilities aren’t designed to remove it, chloride ends up in rivers, lakes, and streams. High levels of chloride in the environment are toxic to fish and aquatic creatures. Once salt is in water, there is no easy way to remove it.
The city of Marshall’s Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) is required by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to reduce the discharge of chlorides into the Redwood River by 2024. A large portion of chloride discharge comes from water softener salt that is sent into the sanitary sewer collection system which flows to the WWTF and is discharged into the Redwood River. Since chlorides cannot be removed through conventional mechanical treatment systems, the city of Marshall, and Marshall Municipal Utilities (MMU) worked together and upgraded MMU’s Water Treatment Plant to produce a softer water to help attain compliance with the required limits set by the MPCA.
As of June 1, 2021, MMU has been delivering water at eight (8) grains hardness compared to thirty-five (35) grains hardness previously. Although the city has seen reductions in chlorides in the waste stream, more reduction needs to occur in order to meet the MPCA limits. The best way to meet these further reductions is for water softeners to be adjusted to be consistent with the reduced hardness the softener is receiving (known as optimization).
In addition to adjusting hardness, water softener salt use can be reduced by adjusting the salt dose and some additional settings. It can be difficult to figure out how to do these adjustments yourself, therefore with funding from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund, the city is offering a free setting adjustment (optimization) for residents and commercial facilities. Water softener optimization will result in less salt and cost savings for you, and lower discharge of chlorides to the sanitary sewer system.
In addition, up to $700 rebates are available to residents for upgrading time clock-based water softeners to more efficient water softeners or salt-free water conditioners.
Commercial facilities are eligible for up to $4,000 to replace time clock-based softeners or to modify softeners to recycle salt brine or add a blending valve.
There are direct benefits to you for optimizing your softener. Optimizing your softener will reduce the amount of salt it uses for regeneration. Depending on the softener and its current settings, you may be able to reduce your salt use by as much as 75% and save money by not having to purchase as much salt. In addition, if you the softener is optimized, the water softener will use less water as it will recharge less frequently.
Rebate funds are limited and will be provided on a first come first served basis. The sooner you schedule an appointment, the more likely you can participate in the free optimization and rebate toward replacement if your softener meets the eligibility requirements. Rebate applications must be submitted no later than 5/1/23.
To ensure rebates are approved, certain approved water softener companies have completed training from Bolton & Menk and the Minnesota Water Quality Association to ensure they can optimize (adjust settings for lowest salt use) water softeners or replace eligible water softeners to help meet the city’s chloride reduction goals, so please contact your local water softener company and ask if they qualify.
Making changes in how you use salt in your facility can help protect our freshwater resources, and potentially reduce your household costs.
For further information, please contact our Public Works Department at 507-537-6773 or visit Public.Works@ci.marshall.mn.us.
— Sharon Hanson is the city administrator for the city of Marshall
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