Hard water in Sunnyside, CA
Reported by Bakman Water Company · March 2023
- CA typical
- 121 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Sunnyside carries roughly 167 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 9.8 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from Bakman Water Company, dated March 2023. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 130 to 167 mg/L.
Sunnyside sits 46 mg/L above 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 10 mg/L in Mayfair to 202 in Sanger.
What 167 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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
At 167 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.
Ion-exchange water softener
The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.
Salt-free conditioner
No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.
Reverse osmosis or carbon filter
Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 9.8 gpg = 2,198 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.
EPA record for Sunnyside's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 17,393 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 1
- Open now
- 2
TapWaterData ties Sunnyside to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Sunnyside, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 1 | 2024 | 1 open |
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 Sunnyside water hard?
Yes. It measures about 167 mg/L (9.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Sunnyside in grains per gallon?
About 9.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 167 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 9.8.
What size water softener do I need in Sunnyside?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 9.8 gpg works out to about 2,198 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.
Has the Sunnyside water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Bakman Water Company since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Mayfair10 mg/LSoft
- Clovis59 mg/LSoft
- Sanger202 mg/LVery hard
- Selma202 mg/LVery hard
- Kingsburg91 mg/LModerately hard
- Reedley202 mg/LVery hard
- Dinuba92 mg/LModerately hard
- Orosi170 mg/LHard
- Madera94 mg/LModerately hard
- Hanford11 mg/LSoft
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 22, 2023), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.