Cite California's legal authority for local restrictions on brine-discharging self-regenerating water softeners

Steps

1. Cite California Health & Safety Code Sections 116775-116795 (Division 104, Part 12, Chapter 5, Article 1, 'Water Softeners') as the core statute governing residential water softening/conditioning appliances; Section 116780 defines key terms including 'hardness' and 'demand control'.
2. Section 116785 sets the baseline installation rule: a residential appliance may be installed only if regeneration occurs off-site, or if it discharges to the community sewer under demand control with a minimum salt-efficiency rating (3,350 grains hardness removed per pound of salt for units installed on/after Jan 1, 2000, rising to 4,000 grains/lb for units installed on/after Jan 1, 2002) plus mandatory water-saving fixture retrofits.
3. Section 116786 (operative since Jan 1, 2003) authorizes a local agency to adopt an ordinance limiting or prohibiting brine-discharging self-regenerating softeners, but only after formal findings tied to a regional water board's waste-discharge/reclamation requirements and a supporting independent salinity-source study.
4. Section 116787 is a Santa Clarita-specific provision (effective Jan 1, 2009) letting the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District require removal of already-installed self-regenerating softeners, subject to voter referendum approval and a mandatory owner-compensation program (100% then 75% of appliance value plus removal cost).
5. Cross-reference Water Code Section 13148 (enacted via AB 1366, 2009) as the companion authority letting local agencies in specified hydrologic regions/counties regulate these systems.
6. Note there is no statewide softener ban in California — only specific local ordinances (e.g., Santa Clarita, Brentwood, Dixon, Discovery Bay, Fillmore, Hollister, Oakley/Ironhouse, San Juan Bautista) adopted under this authority restrict new installations.