How hard is the water in Barstow, CA?

Tap water hardness
80mg/L
4.7gpg
Moderately hardReports range 46–80

Reported by Usmc Nebo (Barstow) · August 2022

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

Barstow water measures 80 mg/L (4.7 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Usmc Nebo (Barstow), dated August 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 46 to 80 mg/L.

Barstow on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Fort Irwin: 24 mg/LFort Irwin 24Running Springs: 36 mg/LRunning Springs 36Crestline: 51 mg/LCrestline 51Lucerne Valley: 53 mg/LLucerne Valley 53Lake Arrowhead: 56 mg/LLake Arrowhead 56Hesperia: 108 mg/LHesperia 108Adelanto: 111 mg/LAdelanto 111Big Bear City: 161 mg/LBig Bear City 161Big Bear Lake: 173 mg/LBig Bear Lake 173Apple Valley: 205 mg/LApple Valley 205Barstow 80mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Fort Irwin: 24 mg/LFort Irwin 24Lucerne Valley: 53 mg/LLucerne Va. 53Lake Arrowhead: 56 mg/LLake Arrow. 56Hesperia: 108 mg/LHesperia 108Adelanto: 111 mg/LAdelanto 111Apple Valley: 205 mg/LApple Vall. 20580 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Barstow sits 41 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 24 mg/L in Fort Irwin to 205 in Apple Valley.

What 80 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 Barstow

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.7 gpg = 1,046 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 22 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Barstow's water system

Usmc Nebo (Barstow) · PWSID CA3610701

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 217 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
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 Barstow water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 80 mg/L (4.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 80 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.7.

What size water softener do I need in Barstow?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.7 gpg works out to about 1,046 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 22 days.

Has the Barstow water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Usmc Nebo (Barstow) since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 25, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.