How hard is the water in Sylacauga, AL?

Tap water hardness
94mg/L
5.5gpg
Moderately hardReports range 27–94

Reported by Sylacauga Utilities Board · 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 Sylacauga has about 94 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Sylacauga Utilities Board, dated May 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 27 to 94 mg/L.

Sylacauga on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Alexander City: 21 mg/LAlexander City 21Clanton: 53 mg/LClanton 53Irondale: 79 mg/LIrondale 79Columbiana: 86 mg/LColumbiana 86Talladega: 134 mg/LTalladega 134Leeds: 147 mg/LLeeds 147Pell City: 154 mg/LPell City 154Pelham: 169 mg/LPelham 169Alabaster: 193 mg/LAlabaster 193Calera: 196 mg/LCalera 196Sylacauga 94mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Alexander City: 21 mg/LAlexander. 21Columbiana: 86 mg/LColumbiana 86Talladega: 134 mg/LTalladega 134Pell City: 154 mg/LPell City 154Pelham: 169 mg/LPelham 169Calera: 196 mg/LCalera 19694 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 94 mg/L, Sylacauga is 21 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 21 mg/L in Alexander City to 196 in Calera.

What 94 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 Sylacauga

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.5 gpg = 1,231 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 19 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Sylacauga's water system

Sylacauga Utilities Board · PWSID AL0001258

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 24,087 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
21
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 Sylacauga water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 94 mg/L (5.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 94 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.5.

What size water softener do I need in Sylacauga?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.5 gpg works out to about 1,231 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 19 days.

Has the Sylacauga water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Sylacauga Utilities Board since 2016. There were also 21 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 11, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.