Village wants to reduce salt in local wastewater

The Village of Mount Horeb is continuing its effort to reduce the chlorides coming into the Wastewater Treatment Facility.  There is no easy or affordable way to remove chlorides from wastewater, therefore, reducing them at the source is by far the best way.  The WDNR has imposed a limit to the chloride level in our facilities effluent discharge to the stream.  The best way to make this limit is with your help.  

Chlorides discharged from water softeners end up at the Wastewater Treatment Facility, the facility can do very little to treat the chlorides without the overwhelming expense of additional processes such as reverse osmosis. The chlorides are discharged with our facilities clean effluent into the West Branch of the Sugar River with the potential of affecting aquatic life and eventually drinking water.    

We understand the need for softened water, however the more responsibly softeners are run the less chlorides we will see.  Homeowners need to review their softener settings. The hardness of Mount Horeb’s water is at 21 grains.  More efficient softeners that regenerate on-demand have flowmeters and regenerate only after the proper amount of water is used. Older or cheaper softeners run on a timer and will regenerate if it is needed or not, wasting salt, water, and money.   An on-demand softener will run less, reduce chlorides and save the owner money as well as help out the utility and the environment.  The Village of Mt. Horeb recently mandated on-demand water softeners for new construction and replacement softeners.   

Commercial buildings need to help out the same as residential.  We also ask that when you are deicing your driveway and sidewalks in the winter that you do not over apply because that also puts chlorides into the environment.  

With your continued help on this issue, we should be able to keep reducing chlorides to the wastewater facility and minimize its effect on the environment.    

Thank you for reading this and please contact me if you have any questions.