South El Monte, CA water hardness

Tap water hardness
34mg/L
2.0gpg
Soft

Reported by San Gabriel Valley Water CO.-El Monte · July 2025

CA typical
121 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Data
Utility report

Tap water in South El Monte has about 34 mg/L of hardness, which is 2.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from San Gabriel Valley Water CO.-El Monte, dated July 2025.

South El Monte on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121South San Gabriel: 34 mg/LSouth San Gabriel 34Avocado Heights: 34 mg/LAvocado Heights 34Pico Rivera: 45 mg/LPico Rivera 45Rosemead: 46 mg/LRosemead 46El Monte: 48 mg/LEl Monte 48West Puente Valley: 109 mg/LWest Puente Valley 109Temple City: 113 mg/LTemple City 113San Gabriel: 116 mg/LSan Gabriel 116Mayflower Village: 135 mg/LMayflower Village 135East San Gabriel: 192 mg/LEast San Gabriel 192South El Monte 34mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121South San Gabriel: 34 mg/LSouth San. 34Avocado Heights: 34 mg/LAvocado He. 34Rosemead: 46 mg/LRosemead 46El Monte: 48 mg/LEl Monte 48Temple City: 113 mg/LTemple City 113San Gabriel: 116 mg/LSan Gabriel 11634 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 34 mg/L, South El Monte is 87 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 South San Gabriel to 192 in East San Gabriel.

What 34 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 34 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 South El Monte's water system

San Gabriel Valley Water CO.-El Monte · PWSID CA1910039

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 240,000 people from groundwater.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties South El Monte to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name South El Monte, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Groundwater Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Groundwater Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Groundwater Ruletreatment of well water22018–2019Resolved

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 South El Monte water hard?

No. It measures about 34 mg/L (2.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in South El Monte in grains per gallon?

About 2.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 34 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.0.

Has the South El Monte water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for San Gabriel Valley Water CO.-El Monte since 2016, involving Groundwater Rule.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, July 1, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.