How hard is the water in Dothan, AL?

Tap water hardness
99mg/L
5.8gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Dothan Utilities (City Of) · May 2022

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

Tap water in Dothan has about 99 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Dothan Utilities (City Of), dated May 2022.

Dothan on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Greenville: 7 mg/LGreenville 7Troy: 12 mg/LTroy 12Ozark: 19 mg/LOzark 19Pike Road: 38 mg/LPike Road 38Montgomery: 38 mg/LMontgomery 38Andalusia: 47 mg/LAndalusia 47Tuskegee: 65 mg/LTuskegee 65Enterprise: 95 mg/LEnterprise 95Opp: 111 mg/LOpp 111Headland: 173 mg/LHeadland 173Dothan 99mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Troy: 12 mg/LTroy 12Ozark: 19 mg/LOzark 19Andalusia: 47 mg/LAndalusia 47Enterprise: 95 mg/LEnterprise 95Opp: 111 mg/LOpp 111Headland: 173 mg/LHeadland 17399 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Dothan sits 26 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 7 mg/L in Greenville to 173 in Headland.

What 99 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 Dothan

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.8 gpg = 1,300 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 18 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Dothan's water system

Dothan Utilities, City of · PWSID AL0000681

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 97,146 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
26
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 Dothan water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 99 mg/L (5.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 99 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.8.

What size water softener do I need in Dothan?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.8 gpg works out to about 1,300 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 18 days.

Has the Dothan water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Dothan Utilities, City of since 2016. There were also 26 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 25, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.