How hard is the water in Austin, TX?

Tap water hardness
68mg/L
4.0gpg
Moderately hardReports range 68–82

Reported by City of Austin Water & Wastewater · October 2025

TX typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
5
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Austin has about 68 mg/L of hardness, which is 4.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from City of Austin Water & Wastewater, dated October 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 68 to 82 mg/L.

Austin on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Wells Branch: 63 mg/LWells Branch 63Shady Hollow: 63 mg/LShady Hollow 63Brushy Creek: 74 mg/LBrushy Creek 74Manor: 92 mg/LManor 92Steiner Ranch: 94 mg/LSteiner Ranch 94Lakeway: 106 mg/LLakeway 106Bee Cave: 110 mg/LBee Cave 110Cedar Park: 157 mg/LCedar Park 157Hornsby Bend: 165 mg/LHornsby Bend 165Pflugerville: 178 mg/LPflugerville 178Austin 68mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Wells Branch: 63 mg/LWells Bran. 63Shady Hollow: 63 mg/LShady Holl. 63Manor: 92 mg/LManor 92Steiner Ranch: 94 mg/LSteiner Ra. 94Bee Cave: 110 mg/LBee Cave 110Hornsby Bend: 165 mg/LHornsby Be. 16568 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Austin sits 44 mg/L below the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 63 mg/L in Wells Branch to 178 in Pflugerville.

What 68 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 Austin

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.0 gpg = 889 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 27 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Austin's water system

City of Austin Water & Wastewater · PWSID TX2270001

5 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 1,115,323 people from surface water.

Health-based
5
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection52018–2022Resolved

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 Austin water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 68 mg/L (4.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 68 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.0.

What size water softener do I need in Austin?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.0 gpg works out to about 889 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 27 days.

Has the Austin water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 5 health-based violations for City of Austin Water & Wastewater since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule.

Nearby cities

All 342 cities in Texas

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 17, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.