The City of Santa Maria wants residents to shut off their water softeners for time being as the water quality being delivered to customers has improved.
As of early July, State water made up nearly 100 percent of the water supply, which is not nearly as hard as when local groundwater is part of the mix.
Water Resources Manager Shannon Sweeney told KCBX that discontinuing the use of self-regenerating, salt-based water softeners will not only save money, it will also save water and the environment.
It takes an extra 25 gallons of water per day to run this type of softener, according to Sweeney. The process also releases salts into the environment which can build up in the water supply and affect agriculture.
Sweeny said given the length of time the City expects to be on mostly state water, the savings could really add up.
"The City typically switches over from State Water to local groundwater when the state shuts down for maintenance, but that might not happen this year," said Sweeney. "So, there's a possibility that we might last through the rest of the year on straight State Water.
Several Central Coast cities use state water as part of their delivery mix. If you're using a water softener and unsure of whether you should continue, contact your local water company and ask.