Sandpoint, ID water hardness

Tap water hardness
49mg/L
2.9gpg
SoftReports range 30–75

Reported by Sandpoint Public Works Dept · April 2022

ID typical
118 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Sandpoint water measures 49 mg/L (2.9 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Sandpoint Public Works Dept, dated April 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 30 to 75 mg/L.

Sandpoint on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+ID typical 118Eagle: 90 mg/LEagle 90Garden City: 90 mg/LGarden City 90Rathdrum: 110 mg/LRathdrum 110Moscow: 111 mg/LMoscow 111Post Falls: 116 mg/LPost Falls 116Hayden: 118 mg/LHayden 118Coeur d'Alene: 118 mg/LCoeur d'Alene 118Lewiston: 122 mg/LLewiston 122Star: 124 mg/LStar 124Caldwell: 170 mg/LCaldwell 170Sandpoint 49mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+ID 118Rathdrum: 110 mg/LRathdrum 110Moscow: 111 mg/LMoscow 111Post Falls: 116 mg/LPost Falls 116Hayden: 118 mg/LHayden 118Coeur d'Alene: 118 mg/LCoeur d'Al. 118Lewiston: 122 mg/LLewiston 12249 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 49 mg/L, Sandpoint is 69 mg/L below the typical Idaho figure of 118. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 90 mg/L in Eagle to 170 in Caldwell.

What 49 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 49 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 Sandpoint's water system

Sandpoint Public Works Dept · PWSID ID1090121

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 12,284 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
5
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection12021Resolved

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 Sandpoint water hard?

No. It measures about 49 mg/L (2.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 49 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.9.

Has the Sandpoint water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Sandpoint Public Works Dept since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule. There were also 5 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 21 cities in Idaho

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 12, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.