Mobile, AL water hardness

Tap water hardness
30mg/L
1.8gpg
Soft

Reported by Mobile Board of Water and Sewer Comm. · August 2025

AL typical
73 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Mobile water measures 30 mg/L (1.8 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Mobile Board of Water and Sewer Comm., dated August 2025.

Mobile on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Tillmans Corner: 11 mg/LTillmans Corner 11Robertsdale: 12 mg/LRobertsdale 12Bay Minette: 18 mg/LBay Minette 18Loxley: 25 mg/LLoxley 25Fairhope: 27 mg/LFairhope 27Prichard: 29 mg/LPrichard 29Daphne: 29 mg/LDaphne 29Satsuma: 30 mg/LSatsuma 30Spanish Fort: 31 mg/LSpanish Fort 31Saraland: 34 mg/LSaraland 34Mobile 30mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Tillmans Corner: 11 mg/LTillmans C. 11Prichard: 29 mg/LPrichard 29Daphne: 29 mg/LDaphne 29Satsuma: 30 mg/LSatsuma 30Spanish Fort: 31 mg/LSpanish Fo. 31Saraland: 34 mg/LSaraland 3430 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 30 mg/L, Mobile is 43 mg/L below the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 11 mg/L in Tillmans Corner to 34 in Saraland.

What 30 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 30 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 Mobile's water system

Mobile, BD. of W&S Comm. of the City of · PWSID AL0001005

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 279,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
24
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct12023Resolved

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 Mobile water hard?

No. It measures about 30 mg/L (1.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 30 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.8.

Has the Mobile water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Mobile, BD. of W&S Comm. of the City of since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 24 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, August 20, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.