How hard is the water in California City, CA?

Tap water hardness
73mg/L
4.3gpg
Moderately hardReports range 73–94

Reported by California City, City of · September 2025

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

Tap water in California City has about 73 mg/L of hardness, which is 4.3 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from California City, City of, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 73 to 94 mg/L.

California City on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Palmdale: 62 mg/LPalmdale 62Lancaster: 80 mg/LLancaster 80Barstow: 80 mg/LBarstow 80Rosamond: 103 mg/LRosamond 103Hesperia: 108 mg/LHesperia 108Adelanto: 111 mg/LAdelanto 111Bear Valley Springs: 158 mg/LBear Valley Springs 158Apple Valley: 205 mg/LApple Valley 205Quartz Hill: 226 mg/LQuartz Hill 226Tehachapi: 363 mg/LTehachapi 363California City 73mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Palmdale: 62 mg/LPalmdale 62Lancaster: 80 mg/LLancaster 80Rosamond: 103 mg/LRosamond 103Bear Valley Springs: 158 mg/LBear Valle. 158Quartz Hill: 226 mg/LQuartz Hill 226Tehachapi: 363 mg/LTehachapi 36373 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 73 mg/L, California City is 48 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 62 mg/L in Palmdale to 363 in Tehachapi.

What 73 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 California City

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.3 gpg = 965 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 24 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for California City's water system

California City, City of · PWSID CA1510032

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 14,198 people from surface water.

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 California City water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 73 mg/L (4.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in California City in grains per gallon?

About 4.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 73 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.3.

What size water softener do I need in California City?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.3 gpg works out to about 965 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 24 days.

Has the California City water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for California City, City of 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, September 30, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.