How hard is the water in Jacksonville, AL?

Tap water hardness
120mg/L
7.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Jacksonville Water Works, Gas and Sewer · June 2022

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

Tap water in Jacksonville has about 120 mg/L of hardness, which is 7.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Jacksonville Water Works, Gas and Sewer, dated June 2022.

Jacksonville on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Saks: 63 mg/LSaks 63Anniston: 63 mg/LAnniston 63Gadsden: 63 mg/LGadsden 63Rainbow City: 111 mg/LRainbow City 111Southside: 112 mg/LSouthside 112Oxford: 125 mg/LOxford 125Attalla: 134 mg/LAttalla 134Talladega: 134 mg/LTalladega 134Pell City: 154 mg/LPell City 154Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 168Jacksonville 120mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Saks: 63 mg/LSaks 63Anniston: 63 mg/LAnniston 63Gadsden: 63 mg/LGadsden 63Southside: 112 mg/LSouthside 112Oxford: 125 mg/LOxford 125Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 168120 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 120 mg/L, Jacksonville is 47 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 63 mg/L in Saks to 168 in Glencoe.

What 120 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 Jacksonville

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 7.0 gpg = 1,580 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Jacksonville's water system

Jacksonville Water Works Gas and Sewer · PWSID AL0000154

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 14,217 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 Jacksonville water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 120 mg/L (7.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 7.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 120 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.0.

What size water softener do I need in Jacksonville?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.0 gpg works out to about 1,580 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.

Has the Jacksonville water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Jacksonville Water Works Gas and Sewer since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 91 cities in Alabama

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 7, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.