Alta Sierra, CA water hardness

Tap water hardness
16mg/L
0.9gpg
Soft

Reported by Nevada ID - Loma Rica · April 2024

CA typical
121 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

The water in Alta Sierra carries roughly 16 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 0.9 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Nevada ID - Loma Rica, dated April 2024.

Alta Sierra on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Auburn: 11 mg/LAuburn 11Loomis: 11 mg/LLoomis 11Rocklin: 11 mg/LRocklin 11North Auburn: 12 mg/LNorth Auburn 12Grass Valley: 13 mg/LGrass Valley 13Granite Bay: 13 mg/LGranite Bay 13Lincoln: 15 mg/LLincoln 15Roseville: 19 mg/LRoseville 19Marysville: 98 mg/LMarysville 98Plumas Lake: 197 mg/LPlumas Lake 197Alta Sierra 16mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Auburn: 11 mg/LAuburn 11Loomis: 11 mg/LLoomis 11Rocklin: 11 mg/LRocklin 11North Auburn: 12 mg/LNorth Aubu. 12Grass Valley: 13 mg/LGrass Vall. 13Lincoln: 15 mg/LLincoln 1516 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Alta Sierra sits 105 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 11 mg/L in Auburn to 197 in Plumas Lake.

What 16 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 16 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 Alta Sierra's water system

Nevada ID - Loma Rica · PWSID CA2910006

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 14,072 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Alta Sierra to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Alta Sierra, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

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 Alta Sierra water hard?

No. It measures about 16 mg/L (0.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Alta Sierra in grains per gallon?

About 0.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 16 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.9.

Has the Alta Sierra water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Nevada ID - Loma Rica since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 21, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.