Prichard, AL water hardness
Reported by Prichard Water Works Board · March 2025
- AL typical
- 73 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 8
- Data
- Utility report
Prichard water measures 29 mg/L (1.7 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Prichard Water Works Board, dated March 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 3 to 29 mg/L.
At 29 mg/L, Prichard is 44 mg/L below the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 11 mg/L in Tillmans Corner to 34 in Saraland.
What 29 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 29 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 Prichard's water system
8 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 29,190 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 8
- Monitoring or reporting
- 19
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct | 8 | 2024–2026 | Resolved |
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 Prichard water hard?
No. It measures about 29 mg/L (1.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.
What is the water hardness in Prichard in grains per gallon?
About 1.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 29 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.7.
Has the Prichard water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 8 health-based violations for Prichard Water Works Board since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 19 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Saraland34 mg/LSoft
- Satsuma30 mg/LSoft
- Mobile30 mg/LSoft
- Tillmans Corner11 mg/LSoft
- Spanish Fort31 mg/LSoft
- Daphne29 mg/LSoft
- Bay Minette18 mg/LSoft
- Fairhope27 mg/LSoft
- Loxley25 mg/LSoft
- Robertsdale12 mg/LSoft
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 21, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.