Hard water

Cities whose files cite hard or very hard water — USGS-style hardness as calcium and magnesium, not a health MCL. A salt softener is the box that actually removes it, and only if the sewer allows brine.

Category
aesthetic
EPA status
No EPA primary MCL. USGS classes water as soft (0–60 mg/L as CaCO3), moderately hard (61–120), hard (121–180), and very hard (more than 180).
Typical sources
Dissolved calcium and magnesium from carbonate rock and some surface-water blends. Common in groundwater and in Southwestern city supplies.

What actually fits

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Hard water is the hardness file with the city list pointed at scale and soap, not at a toxin story.

A salt-based softener removes calcium and magnesium. A salt-free conditioner does not. Whole-house carbon does not. Check whether a brine tank is even legal before you price one.

The list below uses hardness rows and hardnessClass: hard or varies already on city files. Unknown hardness — the opened report did not print grains — is omitted so we do not invent a class.

Cities on file

Only numbers and notes already printed on a city Markdown file. We do not invent a detection to fill this list.

Highest cited numbers on file

Only values already printed on a city file. Sort is the optional numeric field, not a new lab result.

CityCitedOn the file
Rohnert Park, California2023 ppm as CaCO3Hardness
Grayson, California735 ppm as CaCO3Hardness
Morro Bay, California692 ppm as CaCO3 (519–1010)Hardness (column 2)
Piru, California647 mg/L / 38 gpg as CaCO3Hardness
Ventura, California637 ppm / 37 gpg (range 489–911)Hardness (groundwater)
Santa Monica, California582 ppmHardness (SM Well
Fillmore, California575 ppm (438–810)Hardness
Santa Barbara, California560 mg/L / 32–33 gpgHardness (groundwater)
Santa Paula, California550 ppm (range 459–628)Hardness
Port Hueneme, California512 ppm (505–518)Hardness (United)
Reserve, Kansas510 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Wrightwood, California340–700 mg/L as CaCO3 (avg 500)Hardness
Lakeside, California466–479 as CaCO3Hardness (column 1)
Waconia, Minnesota27 gpgHardness
Pauma Valley, California460 mg/L (ND–460)Hardness
Templeton, California459 ppmHardness
Corona, California452 (range 290–570)Hardness (third source column)
Burnsville, Minnesota26 gpgHardness
Goleta, California440 ppm (400–520)Hardness (column 2)
Buellton, California433 ppm (range 420–460)Hardness (groundwater)
Santa Barbara, California426 mg/L (range 368–496)Hardness (surface)
Hollister, California420 mg/L (range 402–432)Hardness (groundwater)
Ventura, California418 ppm / 24 gpg (range 402–448)Hardness (Ventura River)
Ojai, California412 ppm as CaCO3 / 24.1 gpgHardness (column 1)
Guadalupe, California410 / 430 / 42 / 146 / 1 as CaCO3Hardness
Alviso, California407 ppm as CaCO3 (389–428)Hardness (column 2)
Lompoc, California405 ppmHardness (column 2)
Montecito, California404 mg/L (304–620)Hardness (column 1)
Abbyville, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Abilene, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Agra, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Albert, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Alexander, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Alma, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Almena, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Alta Vista, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Alton, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Andale, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Anthony, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness
Arcadia, Kansas400 mg/L as CaCO3Hardness

All files with a cite

1492 city files. Grouped by state.

Alabama 4

Arizona 9

  • Scottsdale — 13–17 gpg / 230–290 ppm
  • Scottsdale — 13–17 gpg / 215–285 ppm
  • Scottsdale — 13–15 gpg / 230–260 ppm
  • Phoenix — 172–302 ppm
  • Chandler — 173–288 mg/L / 10.1–16.8 gpg
  • Mesa — about 16 gpg
  • Mesa — about 12 gpg
  • Mesa — 6.6–433 ppm / 0.4–25 gpg
  • Tucson — Tucson Water classifies the groundwater + Colorado River blend as hard to very hard and says hardness is not a health risk in that description. This file does not invent a single gpg from a third-party scraper. Use the neighborhood dashboard or a titration.

California 771

Colorado 2

District of Columbia 1

Florida 5

Idaho 3

Indiana 25

Kansas 489

Kentucky 4

Louisiana 1

Maine 1

Massachusetts 2

Michigan 3

Minnesota 7

Missouri 18

Montana 2

  • Billings — 52–165 ppm
  • Missoula — 45 / 38 / 55 / 203.2 / 174 / 254 / 500 / 5

Nebraska 2

  • Lincoln — 192 ppm / 11.2 gpg (range 180–236)
  • Omaha — 112 ppm (range 29–159)

Nevada 2

New Hampshire 1

  • Dover — 22.0 and 78.24 ppm

New Jersey 31

New Mexico 1

  • Albuquerque — ABCWUA FAQ: since December 2008, treated surface water and groundwater have been blended; hardness ranges from moderately hard to hard depending on sources and blend. Look up your distribution zone. This file does not invent a citywide gpg from a third-party site.

New York 4

North Carolina 4

North Dakota 1

  • Fargo — 120 ppm / 7 gpg

Ohio 5

Oregon 1

Pennsylvania 47

South Carolina 1

  • Columbia — 36.0 ppm (range 20.0–47.0)

Tennessee 5

Texas 16

Utah 2

Virginia 9

Washington 8

West Virginia 5