Editor: After writing to State Senator Michael Machado regarding my opposition to AB 2270, which would allow local agencies with a community sewer system to ban residential water softeners, and grant government authority to remove a softener from a private residence, I received his reply indicating his disagreement with me and his support of the bill due to salt content in recycled water being a major problem.
After moving to Tracy and becoming aware of the quality of the local water supply, we installed a reverse osmosis (RO) system in our home to remove the majority of the pollutants and chlorinates present in our drinking water. The RO membranes would deteriorate almost immediately if the water were not pre-treated with a softener prior to the RO filtering. This system cost several thousand dollars and would be rendered worthless if my water softener were removed.
My next question to the honorable senator is whether he recalls separating salt from water during his elementary science education. Surely the state engineers would be able to figure it out. It will require energy, for sure, so build a solar array to supply energy to the desalination process. While California may be hard up for water, one thing we do have is boatloads of sunshine.
Daniel Wells, Tracy