Hard water in Calera, AL

Tap water hardness
196mg/L
11.5gpg
Very hard

Reported by Calera Water Works · May 2022

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

The water in Calera carries roughly 196 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 11.5 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Calera Water Works, dated May 2022.

Calera on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Clanton: 53 mg/LClanton 53Homewood: 77 mg/LHomewood 77Mountain Brook: 77 mg/LMountain Brook 77Columbiana: 86 mg/LColumbiana 86Bessemer: 113 mg/LBessemer 113Hueytown: 113 mg/LHueytown 113Pelham: 169 mg/LPelham 169Helena: 190 mg/LHelena 190Alabaster: 193 mg/LAlabaster 193Montevallo: 263 mg/LMontevallo 263Calera 196mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Clanton: 53 mg/LClanton 53Columbiana: 86 mg/LColumbiana 86Pelham: 169 mg/LPelham 169Helena: 190 mg/LHelena 190Alabaster: 193 mg/LAlabaster 193Montevallo: 263 mg/LMontevallo 263196 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 196 mg/L, Calera is 123 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 53 mg/L in Clanton to 263 in Montevallo.

What 196 mg/L means at home

Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.

Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.

Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.

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

At 196 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.

Ion-exchange water softener

The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.

Salt-free conditioner

No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.

Reverse osmosis or carbon filter

Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.

Softener size for Calera

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 11.5 gpg = 2,578 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 9 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Calera's water system

Calera, the WWB of Te City of · PWSID AL0001150

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 26,982 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
15
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 Calera water hard?

Yes. It measures about 196 mg/L (11.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

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

About 11.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 196 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 11.5.

What size water softener do I need in Calera?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 11.5 gpg works out to about 2,578 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 9 days.

Has the Calera water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Calera, the WWB of Te City of since 2016. There were also 15 monitoring or reporting violations, 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 27, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.