How hard is the water in Selma, AL?

Tap water hardness
74mg/L
4.3gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Selma Water Works & Sewer Board · May 2022

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

Selma water measures 74 mg/L (4.3 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Selma Water Works & Sewer Board, dated May 2022.

Selma on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Demopolis: 4 mg/LDemopolis 4Greenville: 7 mg/LGreenville 7Millbrook: 11 mg/LMillbrook 11Prattville: 19 mg/LPrattville 19Montgomery: 38 mg/LMontgomery 38Pike Road: 38 mg/LPike Road 38Clanton: 53 mg/LClanton 53Alabaster: 193 mg/LAlabaster 193Calera: 196 mg/LCalera 196Montevallo: 263 mg/LMontevallo 263Selma 74mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Demopolis: 4 mg/LDemopolis 4Greenville: 7 mg/LGreenville 7Millbrook: 11 mg/LMillbrook 11Prattville: 19 mg/LPrattville 19Montgomery: 38 mg/LMontgomery 38Clanton: 53 mg/LClanton 5374 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Selma sits close to the typical Alabama figure of 73 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 4 mg/L in Demopolis to 263 in Montevallo.

What 74 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 Selma

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.3 gpg = 979 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 24 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Selma's water system

Selma, the WW and SB of the City of · PWSID AL0000490

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 21,834 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
8
Open now
1

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 Selma water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 74 mg/L (4.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 74 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.3.

What size water softener do I need in Selma?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.3 gpg works out to about 979 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 24 days.

Has the Selma water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Selma, the WW and SB of the City of since 2016. There were also 8 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 23, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.