Foley, AL water hardness

Tap water hardness
17mg/L
1.0gpg
Soft

Reported by Foley (Utilities Board of the City Of) · June 2022

AL typical
73 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

The water in Foley carries roughly 17 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.0 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Foley (Utilities Board of the City Of), dated June 2022.

Foley on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Tillmans Corner: 11 mg/LTillmans Corner 11Orange Beach: 12 mg/LOrange Beach 12Robertsdale: 12 mg/LRobertsdale 12Bay Minette: 18 mg/LBay Minette 18Loxley: 25 mg/LLoxley 25Gulf Shores: 26 mg/LGulf Shores 26Fairhope: 27 mg/LFairhope 27Daphne: 29 mg/LDaphne 29Mobile: 30 mg/LMobile 30Spanish Fort: 31 mg/LSpanish Fort 31Foley 17mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Orange Beach: 12 mg/LOrange Bea. 12Robertsdale: 12 mg/LRobertsdale 12Loxley: 25 mg/LLoxley 25Gulf Shores: 26 mg/LGulf Shores 26Fairhope: 27 mg/LFairhope 27Daphne: 29 mg/LDaphne 2917 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Foley sits 56 mg/L below 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 11 mg/L in Tillmans Corner to 31 in Spanish Fort.

What 17 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 17 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Foley's water system

Foley, Utilities Board of the City of · PWSID AL0000036

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 50,919 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
30
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 Foley water hard?

No. It measures about 17 mg/L (1.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 17 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.0.

Has the Foley water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Foley, Utilities Board of the City of since 2016. There were also 30 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, June 15, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.