Gainesville, TX water hardness

Tap water hardness
21mg/L
1.2gpg
SoftReports range 7–21

Reported by City of Gainesville · December 2024

TX typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
4
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Gainesville has about 21 mg/L of hardness, which is 1.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from City of Gainesville, dated December 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 7 to 21 mg/L.

Gainesville on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Sanger: 12 mg/LSanger 12Aubrey: 28 mg/LAubrey 28Pilot Point: 30 mg/LPilot Point 30Providence Village: 30 mg/LProvidence Village 30Savannah: 30 mg/LSavannah 30Paloma Creek South: 30 mg/LPaloma Creek South 30Celina: 40 mg/LCelina 40Denton: 61 mg/LDenton 61Krum: 63 mg/LKrum 63Sherman: 68 mg/LSherman 68Gainesville 21mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Sanger: 12 mg/LSanger 12Aubrey: 28 mg/LAubrey 28Pilot Point: 30 mg/LPilot Point 30Providence Village: 30 mg/LProvidence. 30Denton: 61 mg/LDenton 61Krum: 63 mg/LKrum 6321 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Gainesville sits 91 mg/L below the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 12 mg/L in Sanger to 68 in Sherman.

What 21 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 21 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 Gainesville's water system

City of Gainesville · PWSID TX0490001

4 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 18,107 people from surface water.

Health-based
4
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct32016Resolved
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct12016Resolved

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 Gainesville water hard?

No. It measures about 21 mg/L (1.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 21 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.2.

Has the Gainesville water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 4 health-based violations for City of Gainesville since 2016, involving Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 342 cities in Texas

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, December 3, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.