In the spirit of water awareness month, the Water Resources
Association of San Benito County is giving local residents an
incentive to scrap their old, wasteful water softeners and switch
over to newer technology that conserves water.
Hollister – In the spirit of water awareness month, the Water Resources Association of San Benito County is giving local residents an incentive to scrap their old, wasteful water softeners and switch over to newer technology that conserves water.
The WRA is offering a $150 rebate to any homeowner who replaces a water softener made before 1999 with a new Demand Initiated Regeneration water softener. Older water softeners work on a timer and regenerate water several times per day, even if the water isn’t needed, said Water Conservation Program Manager Shawn Novack.
“Full tanks of soft water go down the drain and go to waste if a resident doesn’t use the water,” he said, adding that older water softeners require a large amount of salt, which ultimately ends up at a waste-water facility.
“It is costly and very difficult to remove salt at these facilities,” Novack said.
Newer DIR water softeners only soften water when a resident needs it. This technology conserves about 50 percent more water than older water softeners and cuts the amount of salt needed in half, he said.
Originally planned to last from May to September, the rebate program will likely be extended because the WRA recently found out that it was receiving grant money from the state.
Hard water – water with a large amount of minerals and undissolved solids – causes a variety of problems, ranging from clogging shower heads to scaling on water softeners, Novack said.
In addition to offering rebates for replacing water softeners, the WRA is giving $100 rebates to residents who swap their old washing machines for newer Energy Star models, which cut water usage nearly in half. Also on June 11 the WRA will be giving out free low flow toilets to county residents.
Despite the unusually wet weather California has received this year, people still need to conserve water, Novack said. Replacing older appliances is a good way to conserve, he said, adding that property owners can also use drought-resistant plants in their landscaping and do away with the big conventional lawn to save water.
Water Resources Association rebates are available to water customers in Hollister, the Sunnyslope area and San Juan Bautista. For more information call Shawn Novack at 637-4378 or go to www.wrasbc.org.
Luke Roney covers politics and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at
lr****@fr***********.com
