Panama City, FL water hardness

Tap water hardness
48mg/L
2.8gpg
SoftCounty estimate

County estimate from 262 water samples in Bay County · July 2026

FL typical
120 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Panama City put hardness at about 48 mg/L (2.8 gpg), which would be soft on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 262 samples taken across Bay County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Panama City's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Panama City's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Panama City on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+FL typical 120Crestview: 12 mg/LCrestview 12Lake Lorraine: 31 mg/LLake Lorraine 31Ocean City: 31 mg/LOcean City 31Wright: 31 mg/LWright 31Fort Walton Beach: 40 mg/LFort Walton Beach 40Gulf Breeze: 42 mg/LGulf Breeze 42Lynn Haven: 48 mg/LLynn Haven 48Panama City Beach: 48 mg/LPanama City Beach 48Tallahassee: 136 mg/LTallahassee 136Midway: 165 mg/LMidway 165Panama City 48mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+FL 120Lake Lorraine: 31 mg/LLake Lorra. 31Ocean City: 31 mg/LOcean City 31Wright: 31 mg/LWright 31Fort Walton Beach: 40 mg/LFort Walto. 40Lynn Haven: 48 mg/LLynn Haven 48Panama City Beach: 48 mg/LPanama Cit. 4848 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 48 mg/L, Panama City is 72 mg/L below the typical Florida figure of 120. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 12 mg/L in Crestview to 165 in Midway.

What 48 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 48 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 Panama City's water system

Bay County Water System · PWSID FL1030050

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 40,848 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Panama City.

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 Panama City water hard?

No. It measures about 48 mg/L (2.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Panama City in grains per gallon?

About 2.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 48 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.8.

Has the Panama City water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bay County Water System since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 214 cities in Florida

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.