Protecting water quality and local water supplies is critically important to our region’s economic future. This is why, on July 20th, the Inland Empire Utilities Agency – with unanimous support from residents, businesses, environmentalists, local cities and other water and wastewater agencies – adopted a new regional ordinance prohibiting the new installation or replacement of certain residential self-regenerating water softeners – the type to which you add salt and directly discharges brine to the wastewater system.