How hard is the water in Commerce, CA?

Tap water hardness
75mg/L
4.4gpg
Moderately hardReports range 75–131

Reported by Commerce-City, Water Dept. · September 2024

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

The water in Commerce carries roughly 75 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.4 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Commerce-City, Water Dept., dated September 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 75 to 131 mg/L.

Commerce on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121South San Gabriel: 34 mg/LSouth San Gabriel 34Pico Rivera: 45 mg/LPico Rivera 45West Whittier-Los Nietos: 75 mg/LWest Whittier-Los Nietos 75East Los Angeles: 123 mg/LEast Los Angeles 123Bell Gardens: 171 mg/LBell Gardens 171Maywood: 171 mg/LMaywood 171Huntington Park: 171 mg/LHuntington Park 171Lynwood: 171 mg/LLynwood 171South Gate: 217 mg/LSouth Gate 217Downey: 247 mg/LDowney 247Commerce 75mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Pico Rivera: 45 mg/LPico Rivera 45East Los Angeles: 123 mg/LEast Los A. 123Bell Gardens: 171 mg/LBell Garde. 171Maywood: 171 mg/LMaywood 171Huntington Park: 171 mg/LHuntington. 171Downey: 247 mg/LDowney 24775 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 75 mg/L, Commerce is 46 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 34 mg/L in South San Gabriel to 247 in Downey.

What 75 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 Commerce

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.4 gpg = 988 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 24 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Commerce's water system

Commerce-City, Water Dept. · PWSID CA1910050

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 3,598 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Commerce water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 75 mg/L (4.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 75 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.4.

What size water softener do I need in Commerce?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.4 gpg works out to about 988 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 24 days.

Has the Commerce water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Commerce-City, Water Dept. since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 16, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.