How hard is the water in Reno, NV?

Tap water hardness
102mg/L
6.0gpg
Moderately hardReports range 81–102

Reported by Truckee Meadows Water Authority · July 2025

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

Tap water in Reno 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 Truckee Meadows Water Authority, dated July 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 81 to 102 mg/L.

Reno on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NV typical 232Incline Village: 10 mg/LIncline Village 10Silver Springs: 48 mg/LSilver Springs 48Indian Hills: 87 mg/LIndian Hills 87Sun Valley: 102 mg/LSun Valley 102Sparks: 102 mg/LSparks 102Spanish Springs: 102 mg/LSpanish Springs 102Carson City: 120 mg/LCarson City 120Gardnerville: 174 mg/LGardnerville 174Fernley: 210 mg/LFernley 210Dayton: 234 mg/LDayton 234Reno 102mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NV 232Incline Village: 10 mg/LIncline Vi. 10Sun Valley: 102 mg/LSun Valley 102Sparks: 102 mg/LSparks 102Spanish Springs: 102 mg/LSpanish Sp. 102Carson City: 120 mg/LCarson City 120Dayton: 234 mg/LDayton 234102 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, Reno is 130 mg/L below the typical Nevada figure of 232. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 10 mg/L in Incline Village to 234 in Dayton.

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 Reno

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,341 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Reno's water system

Truckee Meadows Water Authority · PWSID NV0000190

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 442,000 people from surface water.

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 Reno 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 Reno 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 Reno?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.0 gpg works out to about 1,341 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Reno water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Truckee Meadows Water Authority since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 19 cities in Nevada

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, July 14, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.