How hard is the water in Ceres, CA?

Tap water hardness
66mg/L
3.9gpg
Moderately hardReports range 66–150

Reported by Modesto, City of · August 2024

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

Ceres water measures 66 mg/L (3.9 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Modesto, City of, dated August 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 66 to 150 mg/L.

Ceres on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Waterford: 16 mg/LWaterford 16Ripon: 28 mg/LRipon 28Modesto: 44 mg/LModesto 44West Modesto: 44 mg/LWest Modesto 44Salida: 44 mg/LSalida 44Oakdale: 94 mg/LOakdale 94Turlock: 98 mg/LTurlock 98Denair: 118 mg/LDenair 118Riverbank: 196 mg/LRiverbank 196Patterson: 471 mg/LPatterson 471Ceres 66mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Modesto: 44 mg/LModesto 44West Modesto: 44 mg/LWest Modes. 44Salida: 44 mg/LSalida 44Turlock: 98 mg/LTurlock 98Denair: 118 mg/LDenair 118Riverbank: 196 mg/LRiverbank 19666 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Ceres sits 55 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 16 mg/L in Waterford to 471 in Patterson.

What 66 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 Ceres

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.9 gpg = 875 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 27 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Ceres's water system

Ceres, City of · PWSID CA5010028

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 54,513 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
2

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

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 Ceres water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 66 mg/L (3.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 66 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.9.

What size water softener do I need in Ceres?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.9 gpg works out to about 875 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 27 days.

Has the Ceres water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Ceres, City of since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. 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 20, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.