116787
. (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:
(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 (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7
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.