How hard is the water in McKinleyville, CA?

Tap water hardness
91mg/L
5.3gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by McKinleyville C.S.D. · May 2024

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

McKinleyville water measures 91 mg/L (5.3 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from McKinleyville C.S.D., dated May 2024.

McKinleyville on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Shasta Lake: 30 mg/LShasta Lake 30Redding: 32 mg/LRedding 32Cottonwood: 37 mg/LCottonwood 37Ukiah: 55 mg/LUkiah 55Eureka: 78 mg/LEureka 78Myrtletown: 78 mg/LMyrtletown 78Anderson: 98 mg/LAnderson 98Chico: 154 mg/LChico 154Durham: 154 mg/LDurham 154Orland: 356 mg/LOrland 356McKinleyville 91mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Shasta Lake: 30 mg/LShasta Lake 30Redding: 32 mg/LRedding 32Cottonwood: 37 mg/LCottonwood 37Eureka: 78 mg/LEureka 78Myrtletown: 78 mg/LMyrtletown 78Anderson: 98 mg/LAnderson 9891 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 91 mg/L, McKinleyville is 30 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 30 mg/L in Shasta Lake to 356 in Orland.

What 91 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 McKinleyville

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.3 gpg = 1,197 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for McKinleyville's water system

McKinleyville C.S.D. · PWSID CA1210016

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 16,900 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
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 McKinleyville water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 91 mg/L (5.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 91 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.3.

What size water softener do I need in McKinleyville?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.3 gpg works out to about 1,197 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the McKinleyville water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for McKinleyville C.S.D. since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 20, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.