Decatur, GA water hardness

Tap water hardness
24mg/L
1.4gpg
Soft

Reported by Atlanta · October 2025

GA typical
28 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
5
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Decatur has about 24 mg/L of hardness, which is 1.4 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Atlanta, dated October 2025.

Decatur on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+GA typical 28Druid Hills: 18 mg/LDruid Hills 18Scottdale: 18 mg/LScottdale 18North Decatur: 18 mg/LNorth Decatur 18Belvedere Park: 18 mg/LBelvedere Park 18Candler-McAfee: 18 mg/LCandler-McAfee 18North Druid Hills: 18 mg/LNorth Druid Hills 18Clarkston: 18 mg/LClarkston 18Panthersville: 18 mg/LPanthersville 18Gresham Park: 18 mg/LGresham Park 18Atlanta: 24 mg/LAtlanta 24Decatur 24mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+GA 28Druid Hills: 18 mg/LDruid Hills 18Scottdale: 18 mg/LScottdale 18North Decatur: 18 mg/LNorth Deca. 18Belvedere Park: 18 mg/LBelvedere. 18Candler-McAfee: 18 mg/LCandler-Mc. 18North Druid Hills: 18 mg/LNorth Drui. 1824 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Decatur sits close to the typical Georgia figure of 28 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 18 mg/L in Druid Hills to 24 in Atlanta.

What 24 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 24 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 Decatur's water system

Atlanta · PWSID GA1210001

5 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 1,089,893 people from surface water.

Health-based
5
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Decatur to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Decatur, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct42018–2019Resolved
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct12017Resolved

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 Decatur water hard?

No. It measures about 24 mg/L (1.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 24 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.4.

Has the Decatur water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 5 health-based violations for Atlanta since 2016, involving Haloacetic acids (HAA5), 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, October 7, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.