How hard is the water in Palm Bay, FL?

Tap water hardness
120mg/L
7.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Palm Bay, City of · April 2025

FL typical
120 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Palm Bay has about 120 mg/L of hardness, which is 7.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Palm Bay, City of, dated April 2025.

Palm Bay on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+FL typical 120Vero Beach: 64 mg/LVero Beach 64Viera West: 88 mg/LViera West 88Viera East: 88 mg/LViera East 88Melbourne: 91 mg/LMelbourne 91St. Cloud: 102 mg/LSt. Cloud 102Cocoa West: 103 mg/LCocoa West 103Cocoa: 103 mg/LCocoa 103West Melbourne: 116 mg/LWest Melbourne 116Sebastian: 259 mg/LSebastian 259Fort Pierce: 316 mg/LFort Pierce 316Palm Bay 120mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+FL 120Vero Beach: 64 mg/LVero Beach 64Viera West: 88 mg/LViera West 88Viera East: 88 mg/LViera East 88Melbourne: 91 mg/LMelbourne 91West Melbourne: 116 mg/LWest Melbo. 116Sebastian: 259 mg/LSebastian 259120 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 120 mg/L, Palm Bay is close to the typical Florida figure of 120 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 64 mg/L in Vero Beach to 316 in Fort Pierce.

What 120 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 Palm Bay

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 7.0 gpg = 1,580 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Palm Bay's water system

Palm Bay, City of · PWSID FL3050442

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 140,750 people from groundwater.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 byproduct22022–2023Resolved

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 Palm Bay water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 120 mg/L (7.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Palm Bay in grains per gallon?

About 7.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 120 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.0.

What size water softener do I need in Palm Bay?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.0 gpg works out to about 1,580 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.

Has the Palm Bay water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Palm Bay, City of since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM).

Nearby cities

All 214 cities in Florida

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 8, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.