Hard water in Cleveland, TN
County estimate from 353 water samples in Bradley County · July 2026
- TN typical
- 89 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- County estimate
Water samples from around Cleveland put hardness at about 150 mg/L (8.8 gpg), which would be hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 353 samples taken across Bradley County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Cleveland's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Cleveland's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.
Cleveland sits 61 mg/L above the typical Tennessee figure of 89. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 37 mg/L in Alcoa to 132 in Oak Ridge.
What 150 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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
At 150 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.
Ion-exchange water softener
The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.
Salt-free conditioner
No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.
Reverse osmosis or carbon filter
Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 8.8 gpg = 1,973 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 12 days.
EPA record for Cleveland's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 95,087 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving Cleveland.
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 Cleveland water hard?
Yes. It measures about 150 mg/L (8.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Cleveland in grains per gallon?
About 8.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 150 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.8.
What size water softener do I need in Cleveland?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.8 gpg works out to about 1,973 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 12 days.
Has the Cleveland water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Cleveland Utilities since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Harrison71 mg/LModerately hard
- Chattanooga70 mg/LModerately hard
- East Ridge70 mg/LModerately hard
- Red Bank70 mg/LModerately hard
- Signal Mountain69 mg/LModerately hard
- Oak Ridge132 mg/LHard
- Maryville42 mg/LSoft
- Alcoa37 mg/LSoft
- Eagleton Village46 mg/LSoft
- Knoxville91 mg/LModerately hard
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.