How hard is the water in Palmdale, CA?

Tap water hardness
62mg/L
3.6gpg
Moderately hardReports range 62–83

Reported by Palmdale Water Dist. · 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 Palmdale has about 62 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.6 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Palmdale Water Dist., dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 62 to 83 mg/L.

Palmdale on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121La Crescenta-Montrose: 3 mg/LLa Crescenta-Montrose 3Lancaster: 80 mg/LLancaster 80Glendale: 86 mg/LGlendale 86Rosamond: 103 mg/LRosamond 103San Fernando: 121 mg/LSan Fernando 121Sierra Madre: 161 mg/LSierra Madre 161La Cañada Flintridge: 218 mg/LLa Cañada Flintridge 218Quartz Hill: 226 mg/LQuartz Hill 226Pasadena: 230 mg/LPasadena 230Altadena: 234 mg/LAltadena 234Palmdale 62mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121La Crescenta-Montrose: 3 mg/LLa Crescen. 3Lancaster: 80 mg/LLancaster 80Rosamond: 103 mg/LRosamond 103La Cañada Flintridge: 218 mg/LLa Cañada. 218Quartz Hill: 226 mg/LQuartz Hill 226Altadena: 234 mg/LAltadena 23462 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 62 mg/L, Palmdale is 59 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 62 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 Palmdale

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.6 gpg = 812 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 29 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Palmdale's water system

Palmdale Water Dist. · PWSID CA1910102

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 126,804 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 Palmdale water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 62 mg/L (3.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 62 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.6.

What size water softener do I need in Palmdale?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.6 gpg works out to about 812 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 29 days.

Has the Palmdale water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Palmdale Water Dist. since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 30, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.