How hard is the water in Tuscumbia, AL?

Tap water hardness
120mg/L
7.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Tuscumbia Water Works · May 2022

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

Tuscumbia water measures 120 mg/L (7.0 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Tuscumbia Water Works, dated May 2022.

Tuscumbia on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+AL typical 73Hamilton: 38 mg/LHamilton 38Florence: 62 mg/LFlorence 62Muscle Shoals: 71 mg/LMuscle Shoals 71Sheffield: 73 mg/LSheffield 73Decatur: 74 mg/LDecatur 74Harvest: 78 mg/LHarvest 78Russellville: 88 mg/LRussellville 88Triana: 100 mg/LTriana 100Athens: 112 mg/LAthens 112Madison: 112 mg/LMadison 112Tuscumbia 120mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+AL 73Hamilton: 38 mg/LHamilton 38Florence: 62 mg/LFlorence 62Muscle Shoals: 71 mg/LMuscle Sho. 71Sheffield: 73 mg/LSheffield 73Decatur: 74 mg/LDecatur 74Russellville: 88 mg/LRussellvil. 88120 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 120 mg/L, Tuscumbia is 47 mg/L above the typical Alabama figure of 73. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 38 mg/L in Hamilton to 112 in Athens.

What 120 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 Tuscumbia

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 7.0 gpg = 1,575 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Tuscumbia's water system

Tuscumbia Water Works · PWSID AL0000331

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 16,539 people from surface water.

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 Tuscumbia water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 120 mg/L (7.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 7.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 120 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.0.

What size water softener do I need in Tuscumbia?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.0 gpg works out to about 1,575 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.

Has the Tuscumbia water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Tuscumbia Water Works 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, May 24, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.