How hard is the water in Madison, AL?

Tap water hardness
112mg/L
6.5gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Madison (Water & Wastewater Board) · July 2025

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

The water in Madison carries roughly 112 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.5 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Madison (Water & Wastewater Board), dated July 2025.

Madison on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Cullman: 40 mg/LCullman 40Moores Mill: 67 mg/LMoores Mill 67Guntersville: 69 mg/LGuntersville 69Decatur: 74 mg/LDecatur 74Harvest: 78 mg/LHarvest 78Scottsboro: 78 mg/LScottsboro 78Arab: 79 mg/LArab 79Huntsville: 100 mg/LHuntsville 100Triana: 100 mg/LTriana 100Athens: 112 mg/LAthens 112Madison 112mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Moores Mill: 67 mg/LMoores Mill 67Decatur: 74 mg/LDecatur 74Harvest: 78 mg/LHarvest 78Huntsville: 100 mg/LHuntsville 100Triana: 100 mg/LTriana 100Athens: 112 mg/LAthens 112112 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Madison sits 39 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 40 mg/L in Cullman to 112 in Athens.

What 112 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 Madison

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.5 gpg = 1,474 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Madison's water system

Madison, the W & WW Board of the City of · PWSID AL0000885

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 54,114 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
36
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 Madison water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 112 mg/L (6.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 112 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.5.

What size water softener do I need in Madison?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.5 gpg works out to about 1,474 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Madison water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Madison, the W & WW Board of the City of since 2016. There were also 36 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, July 29, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.