Bakersfield, CA water hardness

Tap water hardness
34mg/L
2.0gpg
SoftReports range 34–49

Reported by CWS - Bakersfield · February 2025

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

Bakersfield water measures 34 mg/L (2.0 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from CWS - Bakersfield, dated February 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 34 to 49 mg/L.

Bakersfield on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121McFarland: 5 mg/LMcFarland 5Benton Park: 37 mg/LBenton Park 37La Cresta: 37 mg/LLa Cresta 37East Bakersfield: 37 mg/LEast Bakersfield 37Potomac Park: 37 mg/LPotomac Park 37Hillcrest: 37 mg/LHillcrest 37Bear Valley Springs: 158 mg/LBear Valley Springs 158Shafter: 181 mg/LShafter 181Wasco: 181 mg/LWasco 181Delano: 181 mg/LDelano 181Bakersfield 34mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Benton Park: 37 mg/LBenton Park 37La Cresta: 37 mg/LLa Cresta 37East Bakersfield: 37 mg/LEast Baker. 37Potomac Park: 37 mg/LPotomac Pa. 37Hillcrest: 37 mg/LHillcrest 37Shafter: 181 mg/LShafter 18134 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 34 mg/L, Bakersfield is 87 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 5 mg/L in McFarland to 181 in Shafter.

What 34 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 34 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 Bakersfield's water system

Bakersfield, City of · PWSID CA1510031

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 171,108 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists Bakersfield, City of as the system serving Bakersfield. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Bakersfield.

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 Bakersfield water hard?

No. It measures about 34 mg/L (2.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 34 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.0.

Has the Bakersfield water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bakersfield, City of since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, February 6, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.