Hard water in Leeds, AL

Tap water hardness
147mg/L
8.6gpg
Hard

Reported by Leeds Water Board · January 2023

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

Tap water in Leeds has about 147 mg/L of hardness, which is 8.6 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Leeds Water Board, dated January 2023.

Leeds on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Center Point: 77 mg/LCenter Point 77Mountain Brook: 77 mg/LMountain Brook 77Birmingham: 77 mg/LBirmingham 77Homewood: 77 mg/LHomewood 77Irondale: 79 mg/LIrondale 79Odenville: 124 mg/LOdenville 124Springville: 149 mg/LSpringville 149Pell City: 154 mg/LPell City 154Trussville: 155 mg/LTrussville 155Pelham: 169 mg/LPelham 169Leeds 147mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Center Point: 77 mg/LCenter Poi. 77Mountain Brook: 77 mg/LMountain B. 77Birmingham: 77 mg/LBirmingham 77Irondale: 79 mg/LIrondale 79Odenville: 124 mg/LOdenville 124Trussville: 155 mg/LTrussville 155147 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Leeds sits 74 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 77 mg/L in Center Point to 169 in Pelham.

What 147 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 147 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.

Softener size for Leeds

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 8.6 gpg = 1,935 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 12 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Leeds's water system

Leeds Water Works Board · PWSID AL0000753

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 21,300 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
64
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 Leeds water hard?

Yes. It measures about 147 mg/L (8.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.

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

About 8.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 147 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.6.

What size water softener do I need in Leeds?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.6 gpg works out to about 1,935 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 12 days.

Has the Leeds water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Leeds Water Works Board since 2016. There were also 64 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, January 13, 2023), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.