How hard is the water in Opp, AL?

Tap water hardness
111mg/L
6.5gpg
Moderately hardReports range 75–111

Reported by Opp Utilities Board · August 2024

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

The water in Opp carries roughly 111 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.5 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Opp Utilities Board, dated August 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 75 to 111 mg/L.

Opp on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Greenville: 7 mg/LGreenville 7Monroeville: 7 mg/LMonroeville 7Troy: 12 mg/LTroy 12Ozark: 19 mg/LOzark 19Pike Road: 38 mg/LPike Road 38Andalusia: 47 mg/LAndalusia 47Brewton: 85 mg/LBrewton 85Enterprise: 95 mg/LEnterprise 95Dothan: 99 mg/LDothan 99Headland: 173 mg/LHeadland 173Opp 111mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Greenville: 7 mg/LGreenville 7Troy: 12 mg/LTroy 12Ozark: 19 mg/LOzark 19Andalusia: 47 mg/LAndalusia 47Brewton: 85 mg/LBrewton 85Enterprise: 95 mg/LEnterprise 95111 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 111 mg/L, Opp is 38 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 7 mg/L in Greenville to 173 in Headland.

What 111 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 Opp

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.5 gpg = 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Opp's water system

Opp Utilities Board · PWSID AL0000375

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 10,266 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
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 Opp water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 111 mg/L (6.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 111 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.5.

What size water softener do I need in Opp?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.5 gpg works out to about 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Opp water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Opp Utilities Board since 2016. There were also 2 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 19, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.