Athens, GA water hardness

Tap water hardness
54mg/L
3.2gpg
Soft

Reported by Athens-Clarke CO Water System · August 2025

GA typical
28 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
3
Data
Utility report

The water in Athens carries roughly 54 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.2 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Athens-Clarke CO Water System, dated August 2025.

Athens on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+GA typical 28Conyers: 14 mg/LConyers 14Oakwood: 15 mg/LOakwood 15Gainesville: 15 mg/LGainesville 15Stone Mountain: 18 mg/LStone Mountain 18Redan: 18 mg/LRedan 18Cumming: 20 mg/LCumming 20Hoschton: 21 mg/LHoschton 21Lawrenceville: 21 mg/LLawrenceville 21Winder: 31 mg/LWinder 31Braselton: 40 mg/LBraselton 40Athens 54mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+GA 28Oakwood: 15 mg/LOakwood 15Gainesville: 15 mg/LGainesville 15Hoschton: 21 mg/LHoschton 21Lawrenceville: 21 mg/LLawrencevi. 21Winder: 31 mg/LWinder 31Braselton: 40 mg/LBraselton 4054 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 54 mg/L, Athens is 26 mg/L above the typical Georgia figure of 28. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 14 mg/L in Conyers to 40 in Braselton.

What 54 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 54 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 Athens's water system

Athens-Clarke CO Water System · PWSID GA0590000

3 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 125,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
3
Monitoring or reporting
1
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 byproduct32021–2022Resolved

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 Athens water hard?

No. It measures about 54 mg/L (3.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 54 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.2.

Has the Athens water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 3 health-based violations for Athens-Clarke CO Water System since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 85 cities in Georgia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 25, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.