Folsom, CA water hardness

Tap water hardness
18mg/L
1.1gpg
Soft

Reported by Folsom, City of - Main · August 2025

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

The water in Folsom carries roughly 18 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.1 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Folsom, City of - Main, dated August 2025.

Folsom on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Loomis: 11 mg/LLoomis 11Granite Bay: 13 mg/LGranite Bay 13El Dorado Hills: 14 mg/LEl Dorado Hills 14Cameron Park: 14 mg/LCameron Park 14Rancho Cordova: 28 mg/LRancho Cordova 28Gold River: 30 mg/LGold River 30Orangevale: 45 mg/LOrangevale 45Fair Oaks: 53 mg/LFair Oaks 53Carmichael: 74 mg/LCarmichael 74Citrus Heights: 82 mg/LCitrus Heights 82Folsom 18mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Granite Bay: 13 mg/LGranite Bay 13El Dorado Hills: 14 mg/LEl Dorado. 14Rancho Cordova: 28 mg/LRancho Cor. 28Gold River: 30 mg/LGold River 30Orangevale: 45 mg/LOrangevale 45Fair Oaks: 53 mg/LFair Oaks 5318 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 18 mg/L, Folsom is 103 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 11 mg/L in Loomis to 82 in Citrus Heights.

What 18 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 18 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 Folsom's water system

Folsom, City of - Main · PWSID CA3410014

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 80,969 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 Folsom water hard?

No. It measures about 18 mg/L (1.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 18 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.1.

Has the Folsom water system had EPA violations?

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

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 4, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.