How hard is the water in Anniston, AL?

Tap water hardness
63mg/L
3.7gpg
Moderately hardReports range 63–99

Reported by Anniston Water Works & Sewer Board · April 2025

AL typical
73 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Anniston carries roughly 63 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.7 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Anniston Water Works & Sewer Board, dated April 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 63 to 99 mg/L.

Anniston on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Saks: 63 mg/LSaks 63Gadsden: 63 mg/LGadsden 63Rainbow City: 111 mg/LRainbow City 111Southside: 112 mg/LSouthside 112Jacksonville: 120 mg/LJacksonville 120Oxford: 125 mg/LOxford 125Talladega: 134 mg/LTalladega 134Attalla: 134 mg/LAttalla 134Pell City: 154 mg/LPell City 154Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 168Anniston 63mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Saks: 63 mg/LSaks 63Southside: 112 mg/LSouthside 112Jacksonville: 120 mg/LJacksonvil. 120Oxford: 125 mg/LOxford 125Talladega: 134 mg/LTalladega 134Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 16863 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 63 mg/L, Anniston is close to the typical Alabama figure of 73 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 63 mg/L in Saks to 168 in Glencoe.

What 63 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Anniston

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.7 gpg = 826 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 29 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Anniston's water system

Anniston Alabama, the WWSB of the City O · PWSID AL0000133

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 56,865 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.

Questions

Is Anniston water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 63 mg/L (3.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Anniston in grains per gallon?

About 3.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 63 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.7.

What size water softener do I need in Anniston?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.7 gpg works out to about 826 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 29 days.

Has the Anniston water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Anniston Alabama, the WWSB of the City O since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 91 cities in Alabama

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 28, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.