South Lake Tahoe, CA water hardness

Tap water hardness
45mg/L
2.6gpg
Soft

Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · June 2024

CA typical
121 mg/L
Data
Calculated from utility data

South Lake Tahoe water measures 45 mg/L (2.6 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (June 2024).

South Lake Tahoe on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CA typical 121Auburn: 11 mg/LAuburn 11North Auburn: 12 mg/LNorth Auburn 12Grass Valley: 13 mg/LGrass Valley 13Granite Bay: 13 mg/LGranite Bay 13Placerville: 14 mg/LPlacerville 14Diamond Springs: 14 mg/LDiamond Springs 14Cameron Park: 14 mg/LCameron Park 14El Dorado Hills: 14 mg/LEl Dorado Hills 14Alta Sierra: 16 mg/LAlta Sierra 16Folsom: 18 mg/LFolsom 18South Lake Tahoe 45mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CA 121Auburn: 11 mg/LAuburn 11North Auburn: 12 mg/LNorth Aubu. 12Placerville: 14 mg/LPlacerville 14Diamond Springs: 14 mg/LDiamond Sp. 14Cameron Park: 14 mg/LCameron Pa. 14Alta Sierra: 16 mg/LAlta Sierra 1645 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 45 mg/L, South Lake Tahoe is 76 mg/L below the typical California figure of 121. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 11 mg/L in Auburn to 18 in Folsom.

What 45 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 45 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 Lake Tahoe's water system

We could not match South Lake Tahoe to a community water system in EPA's records. Your water bill or the yearly Consumer Confidence Report names the system and its ID.

Questions

Is South Lake Tahoe water hard?

No. It measures about 45 mg/L (2.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in South Lake Tahoe in grains per gallon?

About 2.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 45 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.6.

Nearby cities

All 515 cities in California

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, June 22, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.