How hard is the water in San Tan Valley, AZ?
Reported by EPCOR - San Tan · May 2025
- AZ typical
- 180 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 2
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in San Tan Valley has about 109 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.4 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from EPCOR - San Tan, dated May 2025.
At 109 mg/L, San Tan Valley is 71 mg/L below the typical Arizona figure of 180. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 103 mg/L in Sun Lakes to 343 in Eloy.
What 109 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.4 gpg = 1,433 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.
EPA record for San Tan Valley's water system
2 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 87,435 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 2
- Monitoring or reporting
- 53
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrateoften from fertilizer or septic systems | 2 | 2016–2017 | Resolved |
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 San Tan Valley water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 109 mg/L (6.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in San Tan Valley in grains per gallon?
About 6.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 109 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.4.
What size water softener do I need in San Tan Valley?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.4 gpg works out to about 1,433 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.
Has the San Tan Valley water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 2 health-based violations for EPCOR - San Tan since 2016, involving Nitrate. There were also 53 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Queen Creek178 mg/LHard
- Florence109 mg/LModerately hard
- Gilbert168 mg/LHard
- Sun Lakes103 mg/LModerately hard
- Chandler139 mg/LHard
- Casa Grande220 mg/LVery hard
- Tempe180 mg/LHard
- Guadalupe172 mg/LHard
- Maricopa220 mg/LVery hard
- Eloy343 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 13, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.