Albany, OR water hardness

Tap water hardness
25mg/L
1.5gpg
SoftCounty estimate

County estimate from 453 water samples in Linn County · July 2026

OR typical
24 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Albany put hardness at about 25 mg/L (1.5 gpg), which would be soft on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 453 samples taken across Linn County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Albany's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Albany's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Albany on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+OR typical 24Salem: 16 mg/LSalem 16Four Corners: 16 mg/LFour Corners 16Hayesville: 16 mg/LHayesville 16Santa Clara: 19 mg/LSanta Clara 19River Road: 19 mg/LRiver Road 19Eugene: 19 mg/LEugene 19Lebanon: 25 mg/LLebanon 25Corvallis: 27 mg/LCorvallis 27Woodburn: 84 mg/LWoodburn 84Keizer: 95 mg/LKeizer 95Albany 25mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+OR 24Salem: 16 mg/LSalem 16Four Corners: 16 mg/LFour Corne. 16Hayesville: 16 mg/LHayesville 16Lebanon: 25 mg/LLebanon 25Corvallis: 27 mg/LCorvallis 27Keizer: 95 mg/LKeizer 9525 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Albany sits close to the typical Oregon figure of 24 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 16 mg/L in Salem to 95 in Keizer.

What 25 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 25 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 Albany's water system

Albany, City of · PWSID OR4100012

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 57,997 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
18
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Albany.

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 Albany water hard?

No. It measures about 25 mg/L (1.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 25 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.5.

Has the Albany water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Albany, City of since 2016. There were also 18 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 53 cities in Oregon

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.