How hard is the water in Amarillo, TX?

Tap water hardness
106mg/L
6.2gpg
Moderately hardReports range 78–150

Reported by Amarillo Municipal Water System · March 2025

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

Tap water in Amarillo has about 106 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Amarillo Municipal Water System, dated March 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 78 to 150 mg/L.

Amarillo on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Brownfield: 58 mg/LBrownfield 58Dumas: 97 mg/LDumas 97Pampa: 122 mg/LPampa 122Canyon: 136 mg/LCanyon 136Plainview: 154 mg/LPlainview 154Perryton: 154 mg/LPerryton 154Borger: 164 mg/LBorger 164Levelland: 193 mg/LLevelland 193Lubbock: 205 mg/LLubbock 205Vernon: 261 mg/LVernon 261Amarillo 106mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Dumas: 97 mg/LDumas 97Pampa: 122 mg/LPampa 122Canyon: 136 mg/LCanyon 136Plainview: 154 mg/LPlainview 154Perryton: 154 mg/LPerryton 154Borger: 164 mg/LBorger 164106 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Amarillo sits close to the typical Texas figure of 112 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 58 mg/L in Brownfield to 261 in Vernon.

What 106 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 Amarillo

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.2 gpg = 1,395 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Amarillo's water system

Amarillo Municipal Water System · PWSID TX1880001

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 201,291 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
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 Amarillo water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 106 mg/L (6.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 106 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.2.

What size water softener do I need in Amarillo?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.2 gpg works out to about 1,395 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Amarillo water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Amarillo Municipal Water System since 2016. There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 342 cities in Texas

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 21, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.