How hard is the water in Decatur, AL?

Tap water hardness
74mg/L
4.4gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Decatur (Municipal Utilities Board Of) · February 2023

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

Decatur water measures 74 mg/L (4.4 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Decatur (Municipal Utilities Board Of), dated February 2023.

Decatur on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Cullman: 40 mg/LCullman 40Moores Mill: 67 mg/LMoores Mill 67Muscle Shoals: 71 mg/LMuscle Shoals 71Harvest: 78 mg/LHarvest 78Arab: 79 mg/LArab 79Triana: 100 mg/LTriana 100Huntsville: 100 mg/LHuntsville 100Athens: 112 mg/LAthens 112Madison: 112 mg/LMadison 112Tuscumbia: 120 mg/LTuscumbia 120Decatur 74mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Cullman: 40 mg/LCullman 40Harvest: 78 mg/LHarvest 78Triana: 100 mg/LTriana 100Huntsville: 100 mg/LHuntsville 100Athens: 112 mg/LAthens 112Madison: 112 mg/LMadison 11274 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 74 mg/L, Decatur is close to the typical Alabama figure of 73 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 40 mg/L in Cullman to 120 in Tuscumbia.

What 74 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 Decatur

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.4 gpg = 981 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 24 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Decatur's water system

Decatur, Municipal UB of · PWSID AL0001084

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 77,103 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 Decatur water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 74 mg/L (4.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 74 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.4.

What size water softener do I need in Decatur?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.4 gpg works out to about 981 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 24 days.

Has the Decatur water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Decatur, Municipal UB 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, February 13, 2023), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.