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Pleasanton residents who have unloaded their dishwashers recently have probably noticed a white film on glasses and other cookware. That’s due to well water, according to the general manager of Zone 7 Water Agency.
Residents reported a noticeable coating on their dishes on the Weekly’s online Town Square forum. Some thought it may be a problem with their dishwasher, but it appears the culprit is the well water.
Zone 7 supplies 80 percent of residents in the city with water. The other 20 percent receive water from city of Pleasanton wells.
A few reasons are attributed to the increase in pumping from wells. One is that this time of year, Zone 7 crews are performing regular maintenance on pumping stations, leading them to use more groundwater, or well water, in the interim. Normally, water is a blend of surface water and groundwater. Also court-ordered reductions in pumping from the Delta and a drought has led Zone 7 to use its well reserves.
Water that’s pumped and distributed from underground storage tends to have more minerals in it, explained Zone 7 General Manager Jill Duerig.
“The groundwater, because it is harder, leaves more minerals and they show up as spots on dishes,” she said.
Like many other area water agencies, Zone 7 has been hit hard by dry rainfall seasons and a court-ordered pump reduction at the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. In a normal year, the wholesaler averages about 80 percent of its supply from the Delta. But the State Water Project, which sells agencies water, has curtailed its allocations to Zone 7 to just 15 percent.
“When the State Water Project reduced its allocations, either because of drought or court decisions related to endangered species like the Delta smelt, then we have to make up the difference with well water, or groundwater,” Duerig said.
The current weather forecast calls for up to seven consecutive days of rain here in the Bay Area and snow in the Sierras, but despite anticipated rainfall totals, it’s a drop in the bucket for the situation the state is in.
“It’s unlikely to have a huge impact because we’re not just dealing with the natural conditions but also the court-driven decisions,” Duerig said. “We aren’t the ones making the decisions on how the allocations are determined. The California Department of Water Resources does that, and last we heard from them, they were thinking of dropping our allocation.
“My guess is that if they get enough rain and snow, they won’t drop it, but 15 percent is still 15 percent,” she added. “It’s not a lot. It’s much less than we would normally get this year.”
Zone 7 has been asking residents to reduce water usage by 10 percent and will continue to do so.
One bright spot–pardon the pun–is that Zone 7 is nearing completion in a mineral processing plant on Hopyard Road, which is expected to help. The plant will remove some of the chalky-looking salts and minerals from underground drinking water supplies delivered primarily to the western side of its service area, in Pleasanton and Dublin. Groundwater will be pumped to the new facility for removal of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, which, while not harmful to health, can leave buildup on plumbing fixtures.
The plant, which cost $39.5 million, is expected to open in June. It’s being funded by water rates and connection fees on new development. A second plant of comparable size and cost, funded entirely by new development, is planned for 2014.
Household tips to combat hard water
* Leave a squeegee inside the shower and have each family member squeegee the walls and shower door after each use. This reduces hard-water buildup and a whole lot of scrubbing later on;
* Try applying plain white vinegar and lemon juice — acids that help loosen and remove hard water deposits from glass shower enclosures;
* If your showerhead plugs up from hardness, fill a sandwich bag with vinegar and use a rubber band to fasten the bag to your shower. Leave it overnight;
* Pour a cup of white vinegar in the toilet bowl and leave it there overnight. Flush in the morning.
* Use phosphoric acid-based cleansers when cleaning the bathtub or shower. These items can be purchased at home improvement, drug or grocery stores. The manufacturer’s instructions should always be followed.
For an artist’s rendering of the Mocho Groundwater Demineralization Plant, click here
To view the Town Square forum on this topic with poster comments, click here
I have noticed this dishwasher problem before in Pleasanton. It seems to be a recurring condition at particular times of the year. I think it more often occurs in the late summer or early fall when regular above-ground water supplies are low and more ground-water or well-water is used by the water district. How long will this condition last? Is there any way to get cleaner dishes when the water district is using more groundwater?
Different neighborhoods are effected at different times depending on which well is shut down for annual maintenance. Vinegar in the dishwasher is the best suggestion.
Does anyone use a whole-house water softener to deal with this? If so, about how much did it cost, and how often does it have to be maintained (I think you have to add salt regularly).
Is it safe to drink Pleasanton tap water?
We had a whole-house water softener and still had a continuing problem with the “white stuff” on glassware for the 10 years we lived in the Golden Eagle so stopped putting regularly used glassware in the dishwasher and just hand washed it.
We have lived in Pleasanton for 17 years and hard water has always been a problem. In both houses we lived in we put in whole house water softener tanks from isings Culligan. Both times we rented the tanks. The price depends on the size of the house and the type of equipment you select. Our old place we paid Culligan to replace the tank every month. You have to arrange for them to get access to the tank. The water hardness is set to a specific level and can only be changed by Culligan. You don’t have to add any salt with this tank. It’s somewhere around $30-40 I think for a 2100 sq ft house.
For our new place we have a larger system where we add the salt. We rent the equipment from Culligan for $45 per month. They don’t have to come out since we put the salt in (usually once every 3-4 months for 200 lbs at a cost if $20). Culligan can replace the salt but you pay more ( $6 per 5 lbs of salt, delivery fee and gas tax charge). You can adjust the water softness level with this one. This is for a 3300 sq ft house. Oh you can buy the equipment outright from them at around $1800. The issue here is when it breaks, you pay to fix it. When you rent it, the bill goes to Culligan.
We have been very happy with the results and also Culligan. I would not live in Pleasanton without a water softener.
Hope this helps!
Yes it’s safe. The white chalky deposits are harmless minerals like calcium and magnesium.
I’ve had water softeners before. They work very well and are pretty much maintenance free except for the regular addition of salt. I forget the cost since the install was a long time ago. You’ll want to give a call to Sears, HD, or Lowe’s for a current quote anyway.
Keep in mind that they work by replacing the calcium and magnesium with sodium. People that need to limit their sodium consumption will want to install additional filtration for their drinking water, such as a reverse osmosis system.
No need to get a water softener. This year will see a giant Zone 7 water softener come online for the municipal wells.
Yes, but the giant softener won’t cover ALL of Pleasanton.
I had a potasium system from culligan – same thing as the salt system – only someone told me it was better for you. About a year ago they stopped delivering potasium because they said it would be $25 a 20lb bag. We changed to salt and haven’t noticed any difference. We bought the system from Culligan – Sears sells one about $900 instead of the 1700. we paid from Culligan – had I found the Sears one – I’d have done it.
I’m hearing about a new kind that is a box that plugs in and wires wrap your water pipe – not sure what it does but if I could find evidence that it was working well for homeowners – I would go to that – the only extra expense would be the electricity.
I use about three quarters of a cup of vinegar in every load of dishes. It helps. But sometimes things are worse, like lately and no amount of vinegar helps.
Thanks for the info. I guess I should wait until the Zone 7 plant comes online and see if that improves things, before spending a lot of money on a water softener. I’ve been here 20 years so I guess it’s not urgent but it does seem like it’s gotten worse lately.
My car gets overspray from the lawn irrigation, white spots on the paint and windows that are almost impossible to remove.
Q. Is this the same stuff?
I’ve found vinegar helps with it, but then I hose it off well because I’m worried for the paint.
And we’re are supposedly worried about how much water we use.
Q. What else would work?
ALSO: What areas of Pleasanton will the Zone 7 filter help?
THANKS!
It would be nice if the Zone 7 and Pleasanton had addressed this in a more assertive way, rather than having us all wonder what the heck was going on and having to contact them. They are, after all, a business. Would be nice to be treated with some regard rather than waiting for us to notice. OR…did I miss something in the mail?!?
Donna, a friend of mine recently had that wire thingie installed and I’ll let you know what they learn about it. It is hard to imagine how it will work effectively without potentially plugging up that very pipe. Anyone know more about it?
“Maybe if we don’t say anything, they won’t notice!”
they probably think we’re all stupid.
Q, LOL
Pleasanton’s water has long been of poor quality. Everyone is just now noticing? *LMAO*
I grew up here and knew about the water for a long time. The amount on the dishwasher the past week was excessive compared to what we’re normally used to. Honestly, I thought the problem was the soap we were using, Cascade Complete.
We use the rinse in the dishwasher, much less trouble than the water softener, also we put in a reverse osmosis for drinking water. However, I wish we could do without the spots on the house windows.
I’m a bachelor and don’t bother with ‘glassware’. I use a coffee cup for all beverages… and probably 20 years ago, when I filled a clean coffee cup with tap water, and couldn’t see through the chalky white liquid to the bottom of the cup, I called a water delivery company and started wrestling with 5 gal. jugs.
Now, I’ve bought my own dispenser, but still schlep the jugs to Raley’s and fill’em.
unclehomerr..
I tried the white vinegar in the rinse cycles and it worked well. It’s a pain to babysit the dishwasher to put in the vinegar at the right time. I don’t know if using for a rinse agent is enough.
We may invest $69.95 in a softener under the kitchen sink recommended by someone on the web. See below.
June 01, 2008
– the problem is hard water i bet. there is a new product out that actually filters the water going into your dishwasher. this i think is awesome becasue who knows whats in the water cleaning the dishes you eat and drink with. my dishes use to be white and spotty and after the first load with the filter they came out spotless. you can get it at http://www.dishwasherfilter.com. you will be glad you did. oh it goes under the sink and is small and affordable.
Jan 06, 2009
– the problem is hard water. this is a new product out called the dishwasher filtration system and it actually filters the water going into the dishwasher. i tried everything to get my dishes clean but nothing worked until i tried this system. my glasses all had a white, cloudy look to them and it was terrible. you can get it at http://www.dishwasherfilter.com. it is very affordable and works amazing. the filter fits right under the sink and solves the problem immediately. if you use the discount code DFMTEN you will get 10% off
Keep in mind that vinegar will quickly eat away the interior of porcelain lined dishwashers. If you have a stainless steel or *shivers* plastic tank, ignore this message 🙂
I have heard of engineers dumping a jar of Tang into an empty dishwasher and running the longest cycle in order to completely descale the tank and internal plumbing.
How does salt softened water affects plants?
Doesn’t the salt kill them?
Just a thought, but I may be misinformed.
Oh man I hate when my windows get salt on them! Sometimes when the salt delivery company comes there are remains left on my car. I have found that removing it with vinegar is the most effective! http://www.aquatekwatertreatment.com/products/products.html
Three decades in Pleasanton, and have never used any additives. Salt is a killer…literally. Vinegar or Lime Away now and then keeps everything OK. It always seemed rather counter productive to pay to add massive salt for all family members, when my vet explained to me why I could not allow any salt in my dog’s body.
I’m pretty old and my blood pressure is just fine. Besides, it’s not nice to fight mother nature !
My son lives rural with his own well. Now HE lives with mineral deposits ! Pleasanton is just fine…wipe dispenser with vinegar.