Thinking About a Softener? Read This First
Scottsdale's water is hard: the city's 2026 report lists roughly 13 to 17 grains per gallon depending on where you live. Most people's first thought is a salt-based water softener.
The City of Scottsdale would rather you think twice. Its water team says salt-based softeners add salinity to the city's wastewater, salt isn't removed in traditional wastewater treatment, and it takes advanced, expensive treatment to get that water clean enough to reuse.
That matters because recycled water is an essential part of Scottsdale's supply: it irrigates turf and is treated and recharged into the aquifer. The city has offered rebates in the past to remove or replace salt-using softeners.
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Options That Work in Scottsdale
Match the fix to the problem you actually have:
- Drinking water that tastes of chlorine or minerals: a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink. It treats the water you drink and cook with, not the whole house.
- Chlorine smell in the shower and throughout the house: whole-home carbon filtration.
- Scale on fixtures and appliances: Scottsdale's own hard-water tips help: run white vinegar through the coffee maker and dishwasher every few months, use a rinse aid, soak aerators and showerheads in vinegar, and set the water heater to 120–125°F.
- You already have a salt softener: we service it, reset it for your area's hardness, or remove it if you're switching. Ask before removing it if you hope to claim a city rebate (see below).
Softener Removal Rebates: Check Before You Start
Scottsdale's softener removal rebate isn't on the city's current residential rebate list. If it comes back, the rules for removal rebates are strict: every removal needs a city pre-inspection first, and you must not start the removal before you get a Notice to Proceed.
Ask Scottsdale Water's Water Conservation Office at 480-312-5650 about the program's status before you remove anything. We're happy to wait for the inspection.
Hard water isn't a health issue: the city's fact sheet calls scale purely aesthetic, and says treating all of Scottsdale's water for hardness wouldn't be cost-effective when about 70% of home water use goes outdoors.
RO Offers
$100 off a new RO installation. See the coupons page for current terms.
Not sure what your water needs? Get a free water report for your address, or see plumbing in Scottsdale.