Recent testing at the Town’s Wastewater Plant shows a high chloride (sodium) concentration in the wastewater – usually a side effect of water softener use. Water softeners in-home water systems require salt as part of the process. Municipal wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove chloride.
Residents are asked to review tips to help lesson environmental impacts:
- Regular maintenance is important. Make sure your softener is working properly to prevent sodium buildup. Check the settings on your softener following manufacturer’s instructions or have a technician do it for you.
- Consider a potassium chloride-based softener which will do the same job without the same side effects.
- Potassium chloride is available at most stores that sell softener salt. Because it is extracted from earth, it is more costly than sodium chloride which comes from underground salt mines.
Once salt is in water, there is no easy way to remove it. Thank you for doing your part to protect our beautiful natural environment.
