How hard is the water in Cocoa, FL?

Tap water hardness
103mg/L
6.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Cocoa, City of · March 2024

FL typical
120 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Cocoa water measures 103 mg/L (6.0 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Cocoa, City of, dated March 2024.

Cocoa on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+FL typical 120Titusville: 61 mg/LTitusville 61Viera East: 88 mg/LViera East 88Viera West: 88 mg/LViera West 88Melbourne: 91 mg/LMelbourne 91Cocoa West: 103 mg/LCocoa West 103Wedgefield: 111 mg/LWedgefield 111Bithlo: 111 mg/LBithlo 111Alafaya: 111 mg/LAlafaya 111West Melbourne: 116 mg/LWest Melbourne 116Palm Bay: 120 mg/LPalm Bay 120Cocoa 103mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+FL 120Titusville: 61 mg/LTitusville 61Viera East: 88 mg/LViera East 88Viera West: 88 mg/LViera West 88Melbourne: 91 mg/LMelbourne 91Cocoa West: 103 mg/LCocoa West 103Wedgefield: 111 mg/LWedgefield 111103 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 103 mg/L, Cocoa is 17 mg/L below the typical Florida figure of 120. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 61 mg/L in Titusville to 120 in Palm Bay.

What 103 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 Cocoa

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,354 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Cocoa's water system

Cocoa, City of · PWSID FL3050223

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 294,039 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
12
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct12016Resolved

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 Cocoa water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 103 mg/L (6.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Cocoa in grains per gallon?

About 6.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 103 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.0.

What size water softener do I need in Cocoa?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.0 gpg works out to about 1,354 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Cocoa water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Cocoa, City of since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 12 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 214 cities in Florida

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 11, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.