How hard is the water in Lafayette, LA?

Tap water hardness
102mg/L
6.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Lafayette Utilities Water System · September 2025

LA typical
102 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Lafayette has about 102 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Lafayette Utilities Water System, dated September 2025.

Lafayette on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+LA typical 102Port Allen: 19 mg/LPort Allen 19Baton Rouge: 23 mg/LBaton Rouge 23Zachary: 55 mg/LZachary 55Prairieville: 66 mg/LPrairieville 66Scott: 99 mg/LScott 99Carencro: 99 mg/LCarencro 99Lake Charles: 120 mg/LLake Charles 120New Iberia: 136 mg/LNew Iberia 136Youngsville: 147 mg/LYoungsville 147Broussard: 159 mg/LBroussard 159Lafayette 102mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+LA 102Port Allen: 19 mg/LPort Allen 19Scott: 99 mg/LScott 99Carencro: 99 mg/LCarencro 99New Iberia: 136 mg/LNew Iberia 136Youngsville: 147 mg/LYoungsville 147Broussard: 159 mg/LBroussard 159102 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 102 mg/L, Lafayette is close to the typical Louisiana figure of 102 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Port Allen to 159 in Broussard.

What 102 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 Lafayette

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,348 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Lafayette's water system

Lafayette Utilities Water System · PWSID LA1055017

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 169,389 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

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 Lafayette water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 102 mg/L (6.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 102 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.0.

What size water softener do I need in Lafayette?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.0 gpg works out to about 1,348 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Lafayette water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Lafayette Utilities Water System since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 32 cities in Louisiana

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 4, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.