How hard is the water in Anderson, CA?

Tap water hardness
98mg/L
5.7gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by El Rio Estates · September 2021

CA typical
121 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Anderson has about 98 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.7 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from El Rio Estates, dated September 2021.

Anderson on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Oroville: 24 mg/LOroville 24Shasta Lake: 30 mg/LShasta Lake 30Redding: 32 mg/LRedding 32Colusa: 33 mg/LColusa 33Cottonwood: 37 mg/LCottonwood 37Marysville: 98 mg/LMarysville 98Chico: 154 mg/LChico 154Durham: 154 mg/LDurham 154Yuba City: 247 mg/LYuba City 247Orland: 356 mg/LOrland 356Anderson 98mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Shasta Lake: 30 mg/LShasta Lake 30Redding: 32 mg/LRedding 32Cottonwood: 37 mg/LCottonwood 37Chico: 154 mg/LChico 154Durham: 154 mg/LDurham 154Orland: 356 mg/LOrland 35698 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 98 mg/L, Anderson is 23 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 24 mg/L in Oroville to 356 in Orland.

What 98 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 Anderson

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.7 gpg = 1,285 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 18 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Anderson's water system

El Rio Estates · PWSID CA4500246

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 434 people from groundwater.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
2
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling120241 open

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 Anderson water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 98 mg/L (5.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 98 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.7.

What size water softener do I need in Anderson?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.7 gpg works out to about 1,285 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 18 days.

Has the Anderson water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for El Rio Estates since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 3 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 13, 2021), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.