How hard is the water in Scottsboro, AL?

Tap water hardness
78mg/L
4.6gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Scottsboro Water Works · July 2025

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

The water in Scottsboro carries roughly 78 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.6 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Scottsboro Water Works, dated July 2025.

Scottsboro on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Albertville: 34 mg/LAlbertville 34Moores Mill: 67 mg/LMoores Mill 67Rainsville: 69 mg/LRainsville 69Guntersville: 69 mg/LGuntersville 69Harvest: 78 mg/LHarvest 78Arab: 79 mg/LArab 79Huntsville: 100 mg/LHuntsville 100Triana: 100 mg/LTriana 100Madison: 112 mg/LMadison 112Fort Payne: 126 mg/LFort Payne 126Scottsboro 78mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Albertville: 34 mg/LAlbertville 34Moores Mill: 67 mg/LMoores Mill 67Rainsville: 69 mg/LRainsville 69Guntersville: 69 mg/LGuntersvil. 69Arab: 79 mg/LArab 79Fort Payne: 126 mg/LFort Payne 12678 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Scottsboro sits close to the typical Alabama figure of 73 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 34 mg/L in Albertville to 126 in Fort Payne.

What 78 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 Scottsboro

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.6 gpg = 1,028 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 23 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Scottsboro's water system

Scottsboro Water Sewer & GB · PWSID AL0000729

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 22,200 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Scottsboro water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 78 mg/L (4.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 78 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.6.

What size water softener do I need in Scottsboro?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.6 gpg works out to about 1,028 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 23 days.

Has the Scottsboro water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Scottsboro Water Sewer & GB since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 91 cities in Alabama

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, July 30, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.