How hard is the water in Southside, AL?

Tap water hardness
112mg/L
6.5gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Southside Water Works · June 2022

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

The water in Southside carries roughly 112 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.5 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Southside Water Works, dated June 2022.

Southside on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Gadsden: 63 mg/LGadsden 63Saks: 63 mg/LSaks 63Anniston: 63 mg/LAnniston 63Rainbow City: 111 mg/LRainbow City 111Jacksonville: 120 mg/LJacksonville 120Odenville: 124 mg/LOdenville 124Oxford: 125 mg/LOxford 125Attalla: 134 mg/LAttalla 134Pell City: 154 mg/LPell City 154Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 168Southside 112mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Gadsden: 63 mg/LGadsden 63Saks: 63 mg/LSaks 63Rainbow City: 111 mg/LRainbow Ci. 111Jacksonville: 120 mg/LJacksonvil. 120Attalla: 134 mg/LAttalla 134Glencoe: 168 mg/LGlencoe 168112 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Southside sits 39 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 63 mg/L in Gadsden to 168 in Glencoe.

What 112 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 Southside

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.5 gpg = 1,474 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Southside's water system

Southside Water Works and Sewer Board · PWSID AL0000591

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 12,327 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
22
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 Southside water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 112 mg/L (6.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 112 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.5.

What size water softener do I need in Southside?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.5 gpg works out to about 1,474 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Southside water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Southside Water Works and Sewer Board since 2016. 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, June 8, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.