TapMatch

San Francisco, California

SFPUC 2025 Annual Water Quality Report for the San Francisco Water System. Hardness 62 ppm average (range 8.1–112). Chloramine as chlorine 2.6 ppm running annual average. No Measure S-style residential softener ban turned up — check the sewer agency on the bill.

Cited chemistry for San FranciscoA chart of numbers printed on the utility report, each labeled with its unit. Missing numbers are left off.Hardness62 ppm (range 8.1–112)Chloramine2.6 ppm RAA (range <0.1–3.6)TTHMs47 ppb LRAA (range 12–65)HAA537 ppb LRAA (range 6–50)WQR
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.
  1. Hardness62 ppm (range 8.1–112)
  2. Chloramine2.6 ppm RAA (range <0.1–3.6)
  3. TTHMs47 ppb LRAA (range 12–65)
  4. HAA537 ppb LRAA (range 6–50)

Best match for San Francisco

Salt-based water softener — confirm the district first

Check the sanitation district before installing a salt system.

Two tall mineral tanks and a black brine tank of a salt-based water softener, plumbed with copper pipe in a garage.
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.

Shop salt-based softeners

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.

Other options that still fit

  • Salt-free conditioner

    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

  • Whole-house catalytic carbon for chloramine

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

    Shop catalytic carbon for chloramine

  • Under-sink reverse osmosis

    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. Shop Amazon first for under-sink RO, or buy Cloud direct. 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 under-sink reverse osmosisBuy Cloud RO directShop Waterdrop reverse osmosisShop PFAS-listed pitchers

  • Test the tap first

    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

On the report

Water utility
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Hardness
Non-regulated table, 2025. Hardness (as CaCO3) average 62 ppm (range 8.1–112). One citywide range — blending of Hetch Hetchy, local reservoirs, and 0.42% groundwater. Not two invented source columns. — SFPUC 2025 Annual Water Quality Report — San Francisco Water System
Disinfectant
Chloramine (as chlorine) <0.1–3.6 ppm, highest running annual average 2.6 ppm. MRDL 4.0 / MRDLG 4. Chloramine, not free chlorine. PWS CA3810001 printed on the monitoring-notice page. — SFPUC 2025 Annual Water Quality Report — San Francisco Water System
Brine / salt to the sewer
Check the sanitation district before installing. No SFPUC or City and County of San Francisco residential self-regenerating softener ban like LACSD Measure S turned up. That is not a statewide ban finding. Ask SFPUC Wastewater or the agency on the sewer bill before you cut a brine drain.

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.

San Francisco drinking water is San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PWS CA3810001). Hetch Hetchy plus local Bay Area reservoirs, with about 0.42% groundwater in 2025. No Measure S-style residential self-regenerating install ban turned up. Ask the agency on the sewer bill before you cut a brine drain. This is not a legal opinion.

The 2025 report prints hardness 62 ppm (range 8.1–112). Chloramine as chlorine 2.6 ppm running annual average (range <0.1–3.6). TTHMs 47 ppb highest LRAA (12–65). HAA5 37 ppb highest LRAA (6–50). Sodium 18 ppm (3.1–29). Kitchen shopping stays the Cloud RO / Waterdrop path already used on other cities if a listing is why you are looking.

Sources

  1. 2025 Annual Water Quality Report — City of San Francisco — San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Accessed 2026-09-10.

Updated September 10, 2026. A city file is chemistry we can cite plus the sewer rule. No invented detections.