Tuscaloosa, AL water hardness

Tap water hardness
32mg/L
1.9gpg
Soft

Reported by Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer · February 2025

AL typical
73 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Data
Utility report

The water in Tuscaloosa carries roughly 32 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.9 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer, dated February 2025.

Tuscaloosa on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Northport: 40 mg/LNorthport 40Jasper: 51 mg/LJasper 51Forestdale: 77 mg/LForestdale 77Homewood: 77 mg/LHomewood 77Hueytown: 113 mg/LHueytown 113Bessemer: 113 mg/LBessemer 113Pelham: 169 mg/LPelham 169Helena: 190 mg/LHelena 190Alabaster: 193 mg/LAlabaster 193Montevallo: 263 mg/LMontevallo 263Tuscaloosa 32mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Northport: 40 mg/LNorthport 40Hueytown: 113 mg/LHueytown 113Bessemer: 113 mg/LBessemer 113Helena: 190 mg/LHelena 190Alabaster: 193 mg/LAlabaster 193Montevallo: 263 mg/LMontevallo 26332 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Tuscaloosa sits 41 mg/L below the typical Alabama figure of 73. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 40 mg/L in Northport to 263 in Montevallo.

What 32 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 32 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Tuscaloosa's water system

Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer · PWSID AL0001313

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 166,524 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
5
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment RuleHaloacetic acids (HAA5)'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment RuleHaloacetic acids (HAA5)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection12023Resolved
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct12022Resolved

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 Tuscaloosa water hard?

No. It measures about 32 mg/L (1.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 32 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.9.

Has the Tuscaloosa water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Tuscaloosa Water & Sewer since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule, Haloacetic acids (HAA5). There were also 5 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, February 16, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.