How hard is the water in Livermore, CA?

Tap water hardness
94mg/L
5.5gpg
Moderately hardReports range 80–94

Reported by City of Livermore · 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 Livermore has about 94 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from City of Livermore, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 80 to 94 mg/L.

Livermore on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Fairview: 33 mg/LFairview 33Camino Tassajara: 34 mg/LCamino Tassajara 34Blackhawk: 34 mg/LBlackhawk 34Danville: 34 mg/LDanville 34Castro Valley: 34 mg/LCastro Valley 34San Ramon: 44 mg/LSan Ramon 44Mountain House: 61 mg/LMountain House 61Union City: 65 mg/LUnion City 65Fremont: 65 mg/LFremont 65Pleasanton: 161 mg/LPleasanton 161Livermore 94mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Camino Tassajara: 34 mg/LCamino Tas. 34Blackhawk: 34 mg/LBlackhawk 34Danville: 34 mg/LDanville 34San Ramon: 44 mg/LSan Ramon 44Mountain House: 61 mg/LMountain H. 61Pleasanton: 161 mg/LPleasanton 16194 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Livermore sits 27 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 33 mg/L in Fairview to 161 in Pleasanton.

What 94 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 Livermore

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.5 gpg = 1,242 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 19 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Livermore's water system

City of Livermore · PWSID CA0110011

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 38,892 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 Livermore water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 94 mg/L (5.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 94 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.5.

What size water softener do I need in Livermore?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.5 gpg works out to about 1,242 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 19 days.

Has the Livermore water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for City of Livermore since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 26, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.