How hard is the water in Glendale, CA?

Tap water hardness
86mg/L
5.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Glendale-City, Water Dept. · October 2025

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

The water in Glendale carries roughly 86 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.0 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Glendale-City, Water Dept., dated October 2025.

Glendale on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121La Crescenta-Montrose: 3 mg/LLa Crescenta-Montrose 3San Marino: 116 mg/LSan Marino 116West Hollywood: 121 mg/LWest Hollywood 121South Pasadena: 128 mg/LSouth Pasadena 128Burbank: 133 mg/LBurbank 133Alhambra: 137 mg/LAlhambra 137East Pasadena: 192 mg/LEast Pasadena 192La Cañada Flintridge: 218 mg/LLa Cañada Flintridge 218Pasadena: 230 mg/LPasadena 230Altadena: 234 mg/LAltadena 234Glendale 86mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121La Crescenta-Montrose: 3 mg/LLa Crescen. 3South Pasadena: 128 mg/LSouth Pasa. 128Burbank: 133 mg/LBurbank 133La Cañada Flintridge: 218 mg/LLa Cañada. 218Pasadena: 230 mg/LPasadena 230Altadena: 234 mg/LAltadena 23486 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 86 mg/L, Glendale is 35 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 3 mg/L in La Crescenta-Montrose to 234 in Altadena.

What 86 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 Glendale

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.0 gpg = 1,136 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 21 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Glendale's water system

Glendale-City, Water Dept. · PWSID CA1910043

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 192,212 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 Glendale water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 86 mg/L (5.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 86 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.0.

What size water softener do I need in Glendale?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.0 gpg works out to about 1,136 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 21 days.

Has the Glendale water system had EPA violations?

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

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 13, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.