Editor, Manteca Bulletin,

Recently, I noticed my dishwasher has a chalky residue. Why are the dishwasher trays not sliding smoothly?

My utensils that have black handles are white-grey at the end of the cycle, my clear dishes are foggy.

My husband and I read our dishwasher manual under the category “Troubleshooting Tips.” One suggestion was the Jet Dry dispenser. Could it be we did not have enough solution in the dispenser or was the dispenser plugged? Frustrated we were going to phone a repair person, and then on February 27, 2012 on the front page of the Manteca Bulletin was our answer: “Harder water at Del Webb.”

I am angry because I don’t believe this was an over night decision to give Del Webb residents hard water. We should have been given advanced notice about this change. Why?

We could have made arrangements for water softener companies to make presentations to us about their products to correct what we can do to soften the hard water in our homes. Many water softeners require salt or potassium pellets to function. This is a senior community and many of us are on medications for kidney problems due to sodium as well as potassium.

In the past I have observed a clear glass shower enclosure turned from clear to chalky and foggy. There is no solution for this damage from hard water.

Personal items affected by hard water: 1) washing vehicles, 2) laundry, 3) windows, over time we won’t be able to see outside, 4) water sprinklers, perhaps affect landscaping, 5) ice cubes, mine are no longer clear like they used to be, 6) clear glass shower enclosures, 7) what am I now drinking?, 8) what am I now cooking with? 9) most important, our organs.

Installing water softeners, purchasing bottled water will be an additional expense to senior citizens who are on a fixed income. Making things worse is not a solution!

Kathleen Music
Del Webb resident
Manteca
March 6, 2012