How hard is the water in Redlands, CA?
Reported by San Bernardino Valley WD · August 2025
- CA typical
- 121 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Redlands carries roughly 111 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.5 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from San Bernardino Valley WD, dated August 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 78 to 111 mg/L.
Redlands sits close to the typical California figure of 121 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 36 mg/L in Running Springs to 139 in Colton.
What 111 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.5 gpg = 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.
EPA record for Redlands's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 78,025 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists Redlands City MUD-Water Div as the system serving Redlands. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Redlands.
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 Redlands water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 111 mg/L (6.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in Redlands in grains per gallon?
About 6.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 111 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.5.
What size water softener do I need in Redlands?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.5 gpg works out to about 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.
Has the Redlands water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Redlands City MUD-Water Div since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Mentone111 mg/LModerately hard
- Highland123 mg/LHard
- Loma Linda99 mg/LModerately hard
- Yucaipa108 mg/LModerately hard
- Grand Terrace137 mg/LHard
- Highgrove99 mg/LModerately hard
- Colton139 mg/LHard
- Moreno Valley122 mg/LHard
- San Bernardino79 mg/LModerately hard
- Running Springs36 mg/LSoft
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 4, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.