How hard is the water in Montrose, CO?

Tap water hardness
111mg/L
6.5gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Montrose City of · April 2025

CO typical
97 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Montrose 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 Montrose City of, dated April 2025.

Montrose on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+CO typical 97Clifton: 110 mg/LClifton 110Orchard Mesa: 110 mg/LOrchard Mesa 110Fruitvale: 110 mg/LFruitvale 110Grand Junction: 110 mg/LGrand Junction 110Redlands: 110 mg/LRedlands 110Silverthorne: 112 mg/LSilverthorne 112Cañon City: 132 mg/LCañon City 132Salida: 143 mg/LSalida 143Aspen: 168 mg/LAspen 168Eagle: 226 mg/LEagle 226Montrose 111mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+CO 97Clifton: 110 mg/LClifton 110Orchard Mesa: 110 mg/LOrchard Me. 110Fruitvale: 110 mg/LFruitvale 110Grand Junction: 110 mg/LGrand Junc. 110Redlands: 110 mg/LRedlands 110Aspen: 168 mg/LAspen 168111 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 111 mg/L, Montrose is 14 mg/L above the typical Colorado figure of 97. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 110 mg/L in Clifton to 226 in Eagle.

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.

Softener size for Montrose

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.5 gpg = 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Montrose's water system

Montrose City of · PWSID CO0143518

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 19,305 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
2

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 Montrose 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 Montrose 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 Montrose?

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 Montrose water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Montrose City of since 2016. There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 64 cities in Colorado

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 15, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.