Culligan lobbies for its life as water softeners become a drought issue

SACRAMENTO — Government bureaucrats want your water softener.

The Culligan Man is fighting back.

The company behind the renowned "Hey Culligan Man!" advertising campaign of the 1950s has launched a political and public relations offensive to kill a bill targeting its signature product.

That proposal would allow regulators to ban conventional water softeners that discharge salt into municipal sewer lines. The mineral makes it tough for sanitation districts to clean and reuse their sewage, which is an increasingly crucial source of irrigation water in drought-plagued California.

The bill pits giant Culligan International Co. and smaller water-softener manufacturers and their dealers against a broad coalition of interests that includes California cities, water districts, big farming groups, chicken ranchers and even the golfing industry.

"It's a water-quality issue," said Mike McCullough, the director of environment and water resources for the Northern California Golf Assn. "If you have better-quality recycled water, obviously the turf can respond accordingly."

But Culligan, based in Rosemont, Ill., contends that it's not to blame for California's water woes. It's portraying the legislation as a Big Government grab of private property.

It's "an unprecedented step to take something from your home that you legally purchased to better the quality of your life," said Culligan General Counsel Susan Bennett. The privately held firm, which does not divulge sales figures, is by far the largest player in the California market.

The industry is running ads, including a recent full page in the Sacramento Bee, showing a man in a business suit wielding a plumber's wrench and a briefcase, ostensibly to rip the water softener from the utility closet of a hapless homeowner.

"The Sacramento Politicians are at it again. They're back to try and take your water softener away," the ad warns ominously, directing readers to visit www.savemysoftener.com.

Industry officials said they hoped the campaign would help customers avoid what happened to Vern Crawford, a retired Santa Clarita carpenter, who had to yank out his water softener after a local ordinance made it illegal.

"I do think it's a little unfair to target just the soft-water people," he said.

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Dollars at stake

Water softening is a $500-million annual business in California. Units can cost about $2,300 plus periodic servicing. One in 10 Golden State homes, or an estimated 1 million households, have them.