Urban Water Purveyors Seek Solution to Mounting Problem. In a semi-arid climate such as California’s, monitoring and maintaining water supplies is essential and as a result, how to handle salt is an especially important – and complex – issue. This issue of Western Water examines the problem of salt in urban water supplies and what can be done to lessen the continual buildup of such salts. Issues examined include salinity of Colorado River and State Water Project water supplies, groundwater and water recycling and legislation regarding “self regenerative” water softeners.