Alcoa, TN water hardness

Tap water hardness
37mg/L
2.2gpg
Soft

Reported by South Blount Utility District · August 2024

TN typical
89 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Alcoa water measures 37 mg/L (2.2 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from South Blount Utility District, dated August 2024.

Alcoa on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TN typical 89Maryville: 42 mg/LMaryville 42Eagleton Village: 46 mg/LEagleton Village 46Chattanooga: 70 mg/LChattanooga 70Red Bank: 70 mg/LRed Bank 70Harrison: 71 mg/LHarrison 71Knoxville: 91 mg/LKnoxville 91Powell: 99 mg/LPowell 99Oak Ridge: 132 mg/LOak Ridge 132Cleveland: 150 mg/LCleveland 150Morristown: 260 mg/LMorristown 260Alcoa 37mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TN 89Maryville: 42 mg/LMaryville 42Eagleton Village: 46 mg/LEagleton V. 46Knoxville: 91 mg/LKnoxville 91Powell: 99 mg/LPowell 99Oak Ridge: 132 mg/LOak Ridge 132Morristown: 260 mg/LMorristown 26037 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Alcoa sits 52 mg/L below the typical Tennessee figure of 89. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 42 mg/L in Maryville to 260 in Morristown.

What 37 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 37 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 Alcoa's water system

Alcoa Water System · PWSID TN0000007

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 35,238 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

EPA lists Alcoa Water System as the system serving Alcoa. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Alcoa.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Haloacetic acids (HAA5)'16'18'20'22'24'26Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)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 Alcoa water hard?

No. It measures about 37 mg/L (2.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 37 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.2.

Has the Alcoa water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Alcoa Water System since 2016, involving Haloacetic acids (HAA5). There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 44 cities in Tennessee

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 21, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.