How hard is the water in Columbiana, AL?

Tap water hardness
86mg/L
5.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Shelby County Commission-Water Services · August 2025

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

Tap water in Columbiana has about 86 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Shelby County Commission-Water Services, dated August 2025.

Columbiana on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Clanton: 53 mg/LClanton 53Homewood: 77 mg/LHomewood 77Mountain Brook: 77 mg/LMountain Brook 77Sylacauga: 94 mg/LSylacauga 94Bessemer: 113 mg/LBessemer 113Pelham: 169 mg/LPelham 169Helena: 190 mg/LHelena 190Alabaster: 193 mg/LAlabaster 193Calera: 196 mg/LCalera 196Montevallo: 263 mg/LMontevallo 263Columbiana 86mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Sylacauga: 94 mg/LSylacauga 94Pelham: 169 mg/LPelham 169Helena: 190 mg/LHelena 190Alabaster: 193 mg/LAlabaster 193Calera: 196 mg/LCalera 196Montevallo: 263 mg/LMontevallo 26386 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Columbiana sits 13 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 53 mg/L in Clanton to 263 in Montevallo.

What 86 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 Columbiana

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.0 gpg = 1,134 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 21 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Columbiana's water system

Shelby County Commission-Water Services · PWSID AL0001671

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 40,101 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Columbiana water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 86 mg/L (5.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 86 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.0.

What size water softener do I need in Columbiana?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.0 gpg works out to about 1,134 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 21 days.

Has the Columbiana water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Shelby County Commission-Water Services since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 91 cities in Alabama

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 11, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.