Salt-based water softeners became illegal in the Santa Clarita Valley as of January 1, 2009 and must be removed by June 30, 2009.

The salt-based water softener debate has been ongoing in the Santa Clarita Valley, with mandates that the Santa Clarita Sanitation District reduce the salt (chloride) level in its waste water to avoid hefty fines. The alternative to reducing salt at its source would be to build a new water treatment facility, which would send the local sewer rates through the roof for all residents in the area. As a result of this, the residents of the Santa Clarita Valley voted in Measure S, which allows the Sanitation District to fine homeowners up $1,000 if they continue to use salt-based water softeners. Banned water softeners include those that use either sodium chloride or potassium chloride.

Communities affected by this ordinance include Santa Clarita, Saugus, Valencia, Newhall, Castaic, Canyon Country, Stevenson Ranch, Fair Oaks Ranch, Bouquet Canyon, Mint Canyon, and Forrest Park. Communities served by septic tanks instead of the public sewer system are not affected by this ordinance.

To ease the transition into this new law, water softener owners still have a grace period of 180 days to remove salt-based water softeners from their homes. During this time, the program to remove these water softeners removed free of charge is still in place, as well as rebates between $206 and $2,000.

The “Take the Rebate and Run” program to assist homeowners in removing existing salt-based water softeners has been in place for a while now, with many homeowners taking advantage of the rebates and the free removal service. The “Take the Rebate and Run” program provides reimbursement for 75 percent of the reasonable value of the automatic water softener.

Now that the rebate program is ending and the new law is in place, the Sanitation District will begin focusing its efforts on enforcing the removal of water softeners from the Santa Clarita area. It is expected that they will gain access to sales information for water softeners in the area as part of this process, and they may also review plumbing permits that were issued for installing water softeners.

What can you do if you don’t want to suffer with the hard water we have in the Santa Clarita Valley? There are two choices available:

• Use one of the exchange tank services, where they place a tank in your garage and exchange it out monthly for proper salt disposal. These services are offered by companies like Culligan and Rayne.
• Install a non salt-based water conditioning system. A complete list of water conditioning products, including reviews, is available on the Sanitation District’s website.

The Sanitation District’s website also includes information on salt water pools (which are also banned) and instructions on how to remove your water softener.

Skunks are on the loose in Santa Clarita… what can you do about these odorous pests?

Now that my dogs have been skunked twice in the last week, both times in my back yard, I realize that I’m likely not the only Santa Clarita resident dealing with late-night doggy-showers and skunk smell.

What can you do if there’s a skunk in your yard? Unfortunately, a call to Animal Control will not provide much help. They want you to buy a trap at a local feed store, catch the skunk, and then call them to pick it up.

The best way to keep skunks out of your neighborhood is to remove food, water and shelter that may encourage skunks to take up residence in your yard. That means no food left out overnight for your pets or wild animals (store food in animal-proof containers), close the lids on trash cans, pick up fallen fruit from trees, and secure all pet doors. One of the best hiding places for skunks is under low backyard decks, which can be protected from skunks by installing 1/4 inch screening.

Not that skunks are all bad… they do help control rodents and insects in your yard, so as long as you don’t have dogs to get them upset, they’ll probably leave you alone. They’re nocturnal animals, so they’ll most likely be doing their rodent and insect control while you’re asleep.

Trouble is, I have dogs who are overprotective and apparently very slow learners. No sooner do I get them bathed and partially de-skunked, and they’re ready to run out in the yard to hunt it down again. They don’t even need to get that close… skunks are supposed to be able to spray with accuracy for up to 10 feet!

Other than stinking up curious pets, skunks can cause damage to your garden and are also some of the most common carriers of rabies. According to Animal Care and Control, rabies is preventable in man and domestic animals through routine vaccination but is not curable after the onset of symptoms. In addition to rabies, skunks can carry leptospirosis, listeriosis, canine distemper, canine hepatitis, Q-fever, tularemia, and trypanosoma. They are also heavily infested with ticks, fleas, and mites which are known carriers and transmitters of disease.

OK… so maybe I should go get that skunk trap now…

If you do decide to trap a pesky skunk, the best baits to use are raw whole egg, peanut butter, sardines, raw chicken parts, or pet food. You can use 10×12x32 inch cage traps that you buy at a local feed store, or make your own. If you make your own trap, be sure to cover the top, bottom, and sides of the trap with heavy cardboard or 1/4 inch plywood to keep the person removing the trap from getting sprayed. You can call Animal Control at (661) 257-3191 to remove the trapped skunk.

William S. Hart Union High School District receives highest overall API score in the state. 

Hart School District Celebration Banner (courtesy of The Signal)

In API (Academic Performance Index) test results released this month by the California Department of Education, the William S. Hart Union High School District has received the top ranking in the state for union high school districts with 10,000 or more students. The Hart School District encompasses the majority of the junior high and senior high schools in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Vicki Engbrecht, assistant superintendent of instructional services said in an interview with The Signal, “Of course, we all realize that a good education is much more than high test scores. But the state’s API score does offer a simple number to help the public recognize ‘good’ schools. Every one of our schools qualifies under those criteria.” 

The API is a single number, ranging from 200 to 1000, that reflects a school’s (or district’s) performance level based on statewide testing. The purpose of the API is to measure the academic performance and growth of schools. As parents, you’ve likely seen the STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) and/or CAHSEE (California High School Exit Examination) test results in your mailbox, which are a part of this program. Areas tested are math, social science (history), science and English.

Burrtec to replace existing trash services in unincorporated areas of the Santa Clarita Valley.

Burrtec's New Santa Clarita Service

Trash cans are disappearing around the Santa Clarita Valley this week, and will continue to disappear through the end of October. Why? The unincorporated areas of Santa Clarita will be getting new trash cans, and new service, starting shortly.

Between the time that the new cans are delivered and the new service date of November 3, your current trash service will continue your regular service with your new bins. You should receive three new 95-gallon bins, including regular trash (black), yard waste (green) and recyclables (blue). Residents may request optional trash cans for manure as well (brown, of course!), and are also entitled to two free bulky-item pickups per year.

Many areas will have new trash pick-up days with the new service, so be sure to check the Burrtec Trash Service Map for your new service dates. Postcards will also be sent out to confirm the new trash collection days.

This new agreement with Burrtec is supposed to keep our trash collection fees down. We’ll see if this is truth or fiction when the first bills arrive!

Santa Clarita City Council continues to buy up Spruce Street properties.

The Santa Clarita City Council is set to approve the acquisition of 24519 Spruce Street, or the White Light Chiropractic building, at tonight’s City Council meeting.

The purchase has been approved at $1.2 million, with an additional $25,000 allocated for title search and other fees associated with the property transfer. White Light Chiropractic will be allowed to stay in this location according to the terms of a new short-term lease agreement with the City of Santa Clarita until their new location is ready for move-in, as will the other business owners in the area.

This is the third Spruce Street building to be purchased by the City of Santa Clarita this year. The CarQuest building was purchased for $1.715 million and the building that houses Paws for Fun Doggie Daycare was purchased for $725,000.

Still holding on are the buildings that house Just Passing Thru Body Piercing and the old Antique Flower Garden building.

Although the stated plan for these properties is to build a new public library combined with some level of retail and office space, the City Council has left the doors wide open for any type of private development in the area with the following wording on their request for funds for this acquisition:

"the payment of funds for the Project will assist in the elimination of blighting conditions inside the Redevelopment Project Area by providing for adequate parcels and required public improvements to induce new construction and/or rehabilitation by private enterprise; promoting the comprehensive planning, redesign, replanning, reconstruction and/or rehabilitation in such a manner as to achieve a higher and better utilization of the land within the project area, and assisting in attracting new businesses and residential developments to the area."

Will the City of Santa Clarita actually build a new library in Downtown (Old Town) Newhall, or will this land just be sold of to private developers for another glorified strip mall? Hard to say, but so far they have not presented any public studies to show that there is a need for a new library in that location, given that there already are libraries in Newhall and Valencia, and other areas in Santa Clarita are completely without libraries. The Downtown Newhall area does not have a large residential population, and that will be reduced as redevelopment plans continue.

The financial plans for the Old Town Newhall Revitalization Project, or the Retail Opportunities Analysis, had to assume shoppers would travel from as far away as Castaic and the San Fernando Valley in order to accumulate enough potential revenues to justify proceeding with the project. In fact, these outlying areas account for 50% of the total revenues for the Revitalization Project according to the study, completely disregarding the fact that the Valencia Town Center Mall is being expanded and The Avenue at Santa Clarita is on the horizon as well.

So, it would seem that any land acquired for the Old Town Newhall area would need to be converted into higher income generating properties such as retail centers rather than for a public use project such as a new public library in order to justify the overall redevelopment project. Only time will tell what the Santa Clarita City Council will ultimately build in Old Town Newhall.

Halogen torchiere lamps may be exchanged for energy efficient flourescent models.

The City of Santa Clarita, in cooperation with the Community Energy Partnership, will be sponsoring a free light exchange on June 7 from 8am to 12pm at the City Hall parking lot.

This light exchange is ONLY for halogen torcheire lamps, which are considered to be fire hazards. These lamps burn as hot as 1,000 degrees and have been responsible for hundreds of fires.

These lamps will be exchanged for free energy efficient flourescent lamps in either black, white or satin nickel. Pre-registration is required, and this event is limited to the first 500 registrants.

To register, either call 800.968.5203 or email partnership@energycoalition.org. In your email, be sure to include your name, address, phone number, number of lamps to be exchanged, and the color desired for your replacement lamps (black, white or satin nickel).

This program is NOT the same as the recent Operation Light Exchange, where both halogen and incandescent lamps were exchanged free of charge to over 10,000 participants.

This program is funded by California utility ratepayers and administered by Southern California Gas Company and Southern California Edison, under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.