City plants printed about 14 gpg hardness on the 2025 CCR, with purchased water lower. Chloramines in the distribution system. No citywide LACSD-style ban found.
Check the sanitation district before installing. The 2025 City of San Diego CCR we opened does not include a Measure S-style prohibition. California Health and Safety Code still lets a local agency restrict self-regenerating softeners if they adopt an ordinance. Ask the sewer agency before you cut a brine drain.
Hardness (as published)
City treatment plants (2025 CCR): Alvarado avg 237 ppm / 13.8 gpg (203–270 ppm); Miramar 242 ppm / 14.1 gpg; Otay 243 ppm / 14.2 gpg. Purchased water avg 145 ppm / 8.5 gpg. — City of San Diego 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
Disinfectant (as published)
Chloramines in the distribution system (chlorine + ammonia). Plants also use ozone or chlorine dioxide as primary disinfection depending on the plant. — City of San Diego 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report
What actually fits
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If soap will not lather and you want a salt softener
Salt-based softener: two mineral tanks and a brine tank.
Ask the agency on the sewer side of the bill before you cut a brine drain. California lets districts restrict self-regenerating units. A “banned in California” blog is not your district.
If you are shopping a PFAS listing for the kitchen
Under-sink reverse osmosis: filters, tank, and a second faucet.
A pitcher or under-sink RO whose exact model is listed for PFAS under NSF/ANSI 53 or 58. The RO shop link is Waterdrop. Pitchers stay on a tagged Amazon search. We have not picked a model.
San Diego is a hard city-water file with a printed grains table, plus chloramine.
What the 2025 CCR prints
The City of San Diego 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report lists total hardness at the three city plants around 237–243 ppm (13.8–14.2 gpg). Purchased water printed lower (avg 145 ppm / 8.5 gpg). Those are plant tables, not your hose bib. Sodium is also printed (city plants roughly 86–111 ppm averages). Iron is not the story this report is telling for finished city water.
Chloramines keep a residual in the pipes. The report describes secondary disinfection as chlorine plus ammonia.
Salt discharge
We did not find a published citywide ban that matches LACSD Measure S. That is recorded as check-district. If you find a City of San Diego or a metro wastewater ordinance, the next edit should cite it.
What to match here
Hardness: size from your tap, then read the quote — after the sewer agency says brine is allowed.
