How hard is the water in Arab, AL?

Tap water hardness
79mg/L
4.6gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Arab Water Works Board · May 2022

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

Arab water measures 79 mg/L (4.6 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Arab Water Works Board, dated May 2022.

Arab on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Albertville: 34 mg/LAlbertville 34Cullman: 40 mg/LCullman 40Guntersville: 69 mg/LGuntersville 69Decatur: 74 mg/LDecatur 74Scottsboro: 78 mg/LScottsboro 78Triana: 100 mg/LTriana 100Huntsville: 100 mg/LHuntsville 100Madison: 112 mg/LMadison 112Oneonta: 116 mg/LOneonta 116Attalla: 134 mg/LAttalla 134Arab 79mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Albertville: 34 mg/LAlbertville 34Cullman: 40 mg/LCullman 40Guntersville: 69 mg/LGuntersvil. 69Triana: 100 mg/LTriana 100Huntsville: 100 mg/LHuntsville 100Oneonta: 116 mg/LOneonta 11679 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 79 mg/L, Arab is close to the typical Alabama figure of 73 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 34 mg/L in Albertville to 134 in Attalla.

What 79 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 Arab

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.6 gpg = 1,035 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 23 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Arab's water system

Arab, Water Works Board of the City of · PWSID AL0000934

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 39,795 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 Arab water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 79 mg/L (4.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 79 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.6.

What size water softener do I need in Arab?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.6 gpg works out to about 1,035 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 23 days.

Has the Arab water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Arab, Water Works Board of the City of 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, May 16, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.