Hard water in Oxford, AL

Tap water hardness
125mg/L
7.3gpg
Hard

Reported by Oxford Water Works & Sewer Board · May 2022

AL typical
73 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Oxford has about 125 mg/L of hardness, which is 7.3 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Oxford Water Works & Sewer Board, dated May 2022.

Oxford on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Anniston: 63 mg/LAnniston 63Saks: 63 mg/LSaks 63Gadsden: 63 mg/LGadsden 63Rainbow City: 111 mg/LRainbow City 111Southside: 112 mg/LSouthside 112Jacksonville: 120 mg/LJacksonville 120Talladega: 134 mg/LTalladega 134Attalla: 134 mg/LAttalla 134Pell City: 154 mg/LPell City 154Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 168Oxford 125mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Anniston: 63 mg/LAnniston 63Saks: 63 mg/LSaks 63Southside: 112 mg/LSouthside 112Jacksonville: 120 mg/LJacksonvil. 120Talladega: 134 mg/LTalladega 134Pell City: 154 mg/LPell City 154125 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 125 mg/L, Oxford is 52 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 63 mg/L in Anniston to 168 in Glencoe.

What 125 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 125 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 Oxford

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 7.3 gpg = 1,645 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 14 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Oxford's water system

Oxford Water Works & Sewer Board · PWSID AL0000162

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 31,239 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
22
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Trichloroethylene'16'18'20'22'24'26Trichloroethylene
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Trichloroethylene12024Resolved

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 Oxford water hard?

Yes. It measures about 125 mg/L (7.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.

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

About 7.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 125 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.3.

What size water softener do I need in Oxford?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.3 gpg works out to about 1,645 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 14 days.

Has the Oxford water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Oxford Water Works & Sewer Board since 2016, involving Trichloroethylene. There were also 22 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, May 16, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.