McFarland, CA water hardness

Tap water hardness
5mg/L
0.3gpg
Soft

Reported by McFarland, City of · March 2023

CA typical
121 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
7
Data
Utility report

McFarland water measures 5 mg/L (0.3 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from McFarland, City of, dated March 2023.

McFarland on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Bakersfield: 34 mg/LBakersfield 34La Cresta: 37 mg/LLa Cresta 37East Bakersfield: 37 mg/LEast Bakersfield 37Benton Park: 37 mg/LBenton Park 37Hillcrest: 37 mg/LHillcrest 37Potomac Park: 37 mg/LPotomac Park 37Delano: 181 mg/LDelano 181Wasco: 181 mg/LWasco 181Shafter: 181 mg/LShafter 181Porterville: 233 mg/LPorterville 233McFarland 5mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Bakersfield: 34 mg/LBakersfield 34La Cresta: 37 mg/LLa Cresta 37East Bakersfield: 37 mg/LEast Baker. 37Delano: 181 mg/LDelano 181Wasco: 181 mg/LWasco 181Shafter: 181 mg/LShafter 1815 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

McFarland sits 116 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 34 mg/L in Bakersfield to 233 in Porterville.

What 5 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 5 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 McFarland's water system

McFarland, City of · PWSID CA1510013

7 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 14,161 people from groundwater.

Health-based
7
Monitoring or reporting
13
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026NitrateColiform bacteria'16'18'20'22'24'26NitrateColiform bacteria
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Nitrateoften from fertilizer or septic systems62023–2025Resolved
Coliform bacteriabacteria12016Resolved

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 McFarland water hard?

No. It measures about 5 mg/L (0.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 0.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 5 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.3.

Has the McFarland water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 7 health-based violations for McFarland, City of since 2016, involving Nitrate, Coliform bacteria. There were also 13 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 30, 2023), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.