Hard water in Headland, AL
Reported by Headland Water Works · 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 Headland has about 173 mg/L of hardness, which is 10.1 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Headland Water Works, dated May 2022.
At 173 mg/L, Headland is 100 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 7 mg/L in Greenville to 111 in Opp.
What 173 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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 173 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 10.1 gpg = 2,277 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.
EPA record for Headland's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 6,003 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 4
- 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 Headland water hard?
Yes. It measures about 173 mg/L (10.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Headland in grains per gallon?
About 10.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 173 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 10.1.
What size water softener do I need in Headland?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 10.1 gpg works out to about 2,277 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.
Has the Headland water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Headland Water Works since 2016. There were also 4 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Dothan99 mg/LModerately hard
- Ozark19 mg/LSoft
- Enterprise95 mg/LModerately hard
- Troy12 mg/LSoft
- Opp111 mg/LModerately hard
- Andalusia47 mg/LSoft
- Tuskegee65 mg/LModerately hard
- Pike Road38 mg/LSoft
- Greenville7 mg/LSoft
- Auburn73 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 8, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.