Brentwood, California

Brentwood Municipal Code Title 13 Sewers, Chapter 13.04, § 13.04.022.B (Ord. 956 § 2, 2015) prohibits installing a brine discharging self-regenerating water softener system. That is a city sewerage-works rule authorized by Central Valley Regional Board Order No. R5-2015-0043 — not a statewide ban. The 2024 report prints hardness as two columns, wells vs surface, not a citywide blend.

Cited numbers from the utility report. Length follows the printed value against a labeled scale — not a health ranking. If the report has no number, it is not on the chart.

Hardness (wells)390 ppm (range 340–470)
Hardness (surface)74 ppm (range 52–116)
Chloramines2.7 ppm LRAA (range 1.39–2.7)
Arsenic (wells)2.3 ppb (range 1.8–3.6)
Chromium-6 (wells)5.3 ppb (range 4.3–8.0)
Chromium-6 (surface)0.11 ppb (range ND–0.14)

On the report

Water utility: City of Brentwood Public Works
Hardness: Ground water (wells) 390 ppm as CaCO3 (range 340–470), 22.8 grains (19.9–27.5). Surface water (plants) 74 ppm (range 52–116), 4.3 grains (3.0–6.8). Combined citywide hardness is not printed. 2024 Water Quality Report. — City of Brentwood 2024 Water Quality Report
Disinfectant: Chloramines. Highest quarterly LRAA 2.7 ppm (distribution range 1.39–2.7), MRDL 4.0 as Cl2, no violation, 2024 report — City of Brentwood 2024 Water Quality Report
Sanitation district: City of Brentwood (sewerage works)
Brine / salt to the sewer: Self-regenerating salt softeners prohibited (district rule). Title 13 Sewers, Chapter 13.04, Article 0, § 13.04.022.B (Ord. 956 § 2, 2015) says no person may install a brine discharging self-regenerating water softener system. That is a City of Brentwood sewerage-works rule, authorized by Central Valley Regional Board Order No. R5-2015-0043 (adopted April 17, 2015) — not a statewide ban. Ask Public Works or the agency on the sewer bill about the address. The published section is an install prohibition; it does not add an exception sentence.

Also around here

Extra context besides the utility report and the chart above — geology, an unregulated table, or a published study. Not a second set of printed tap numbers.

MicroplasticsWHO’s 2019 review examined studies that found microplastic particles in treated tap and bottled water in many places. That is a published-occurrence finding, not a number from this city’s water-quality report, and we do not invent a particles-per-liter count for the tap.Microplastics in drinking-water — World Health Organization
LithiumThe 2024 CCR prints UCMR 5 lithium on the wells column. That is the unregulated table, not a blended city tap average.Wells 78.8 ppb (range 57.1–102) on that UCMR 5 line.2024 Water Quality Report (PWS ID CA0710004) — City of Brentwood Public Works
Lead (90th percentile)The 2024 CCR prints Lead and Copper Rule tap sampling at 72 sites. That is a 90th-percentile statistic, not every address and not a plant finished-water average.Lead 1.25 ppb (action level 15); copper 0.12 ppm (action level 1.3). No sites above the action level.2024 Water Quality Report (PWS ID CA0710004) — City of Brentwood Public Works
Disinfection byproductsThe same 2024 CCR prints HAA5 and TTHMs in the distribution system.HAA5 8.3 ppb (range ND–8.3). TTHMs 56.5 ppb (range 9.3–56.5).2024 Water Quality Report (PWS ID CA0710004) — City of Brentwood Public Works
PFASThe 2024 CCR table we opened does not print PFAS numbers and does not list PFAS as detections. This file does not invent one.2024 Water Quality Report (PWS ID CA0710004) — City of Brentwood Public Works

Brentwood’s rule is a city sewer ordinance for the city’s sewerage works, not a statewide salt-softener ban. Title 13 Sewers, Chapter 13.04, Article 0 (Prohibited Activities), § 13.04.022.B (Ord. 956 § 2, 2015): no person may install a brine discharging self-regenerating water softener system. The published sentence says that prohibition is authorized by Central Valley Regional Board Order No. R5-2015-0043, adopted April 17, 2015. Ask Public Works or the agency on the sewer bill about the address. The code as published is an install prohibition of brine-discharging self-regenerating systems. It does not add an exception sentence. We do not invent one.

Drinking water in 2024 came from five groundwater wells plus surface water treated at the Brentwood water treatment plant and Contra Costa Water District’s Randall-Bold plant (more than 21,000 connections). The 2024 Water Quality Report prints hardness as two columns — wells 390 ppm as CaCO3 (range 340–470; 22.8 grains, range 19.9–27.5) and surface 74 ppm (range 52–116; 4.3 grains, range 3.0–6.8). We do not invent a citywide blend.

Chloramines in the distribution system: highest quarterly LRAA 2.7 ppm (range 1.39–2.7), MRDL 4.0 as Cl2, no violation. Wells arsenic 2.3 ppb (range 1.8–3.6), MCL 10; surface ND. Wells chromium-6 5.3 ppb (range 4.3–8.0), MCL 10; surface 0.11 ppb (range ND–0.14). Iron on both columns is ND (wells range ND–0.016 ppm against an MCL of 0.3). PFAS numbers are not printed as detections on the table we opened.

What actually fits

Some links are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a commission. That does not change the match, and it is not a medical claim.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

If you want actual soft water

Portable-exchange tanks, if that exception applies at your address. The resin still removes hardness. The salt work happens off site. Do not install a self-regenerating unit to the sewer here.

If you only want less scale and you hate salt bags

A single tall tank with no brine tank, installed in a laundry alcove next to a washing machine. — Salt-free conditioner: one tank, no salt bin.

A salt-free conditioner changes how scale sticks. It does not soften. Soap and spots stay closer to untreated. No brine line.

Shop salt-free conditioners

If the water tastes like pool-plus-ammonia

A single black whole-house carbon tank with a control head, installed in a garage and connected to copper pipe. — Whole-house carbon tank. No brine tank.

Catalytic carbon with a chloramine claim (NSF/ANSI 42 for chloramine). Regular chlorine carbon is the wrong box.

Shop catalytic carbon for chloramine

If you are shopping a PFAS listing for the kitchen

Under-sink reverse osmosis system with a white storage tank, filter canisters, and colored tubing in a kitchen cabinet. — Under-sink reverse osmosis: filters, tank, and a second faucet.

The under-sink RO we actually run is Cloud RO — NSF/ANSI 58, kitchen tap, not a whole-house tank. Check the exact listing if PFAS is why you are shopping. Waterdrop is a tankless option if you want that path. A certifier-listed pitcher is the cheap first step. Nobody is paying for a medical claim.

Shop Cloud RO Shop Waterdrop reverse osmosis Shop PFAS-listed pitchers

If you have not tested the tap

A homeowner kit is a start. It is not a state-certified lab. Use a certified lab when the decision is expensive.

Shop water test kits

Sources

§ 13.04.022 Prohibited activities (Ord. 956 § 2, 2015) — City of Brentwood Municipal Code (eCode360). Accessed 2026-09-01.
2024 Water Quality Report (PWS ID CA0710004) — City of Brentwood Public Works. Accessed 2026-09-01.

Updated September 1, 2026. A city file is chemistry we can cite plus the sewer rule. No invented detections.