How hard is the water in Rainsville, AL?

Tap water hardness
69mg/L
4.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Section-Dutton Water System · May 2022

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

Tap water in Rainsville has about 69 mg/L of hardness, which is 4.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Section-Dutton Water System, dated May 2022.

Rainsville on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Albertville: 34 mg/LAlbertville 34Gadsden: 63 mg/LGadsden 63Guntersville: 69 mg/LGuntersville 69Scottsboro: 78 mg/LScottsboro 78Arab: 79 mg/LArab 79Rainbow City: 111 mg/LRainbow City 111Southside: 112 mg/LSouthside 112Fort Payne: 126 mg/LFort Payne 126Attalla: 134 mg/LAttalla 134Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 168Rainsville 69mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Albertville: 34 mg/LAlbertville 34Gadsden: 63 mg/LGadsden 63Guntersville: 69 mg/LGuntersvil. 69Scottsboro: 78 mg/LScottsboro 78Fort Payne: 126 mg/LFort Payne 126Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 16869 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 69 mg/L, Rainsville is close to the typical Alabama figure of 73 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 34 mg/L in Albertville to 168 in Glencoe.

What 69 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 Rainsville

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.0 gpg = 904 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 26 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Rainsville's water system

Section & Dutton, Water Works BD. of · PWSID AL0000728

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 35,259 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
14
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 Rainsville water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 69 mg/L (4.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 69 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.0.

What size water softener do I need in Rainsville?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.0 gpg works out to about 904 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 26 days.

Has the Rainsville water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Section & Dutton, Water Works BD. of since 2016. There were also 14 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 24, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.