Hard water in Georgetown, TX
Reported by City of Georgetown · October 2025
- TX typical
- 112 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Georgetown carries roughly 148 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 8.7 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from City of Georgetown, dated October 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 73 to 148 mg/L.
Georgetown sits 36 mg/L above the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 63 mg/L in Wells Branch to 178 in Pflugerville.
What 148 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 148 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 × 8.7 gpg = 1,948 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 12 days.
EPA record for Georgetown's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 191,639 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 2
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct | 1 | 2026 | Resolved |
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 Georgetown water hard?
Yes. It measures about 148 mg/L (8.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Georgetown in grains per gallon?
About 8.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 148 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.7.
What size water softener do I need in Georgetown?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.7 gpg works out to about 1,948 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 12 days.
Has the Georgetown water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for City of Georgetown since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Round Rock169 mg/LHard
- Brushy Creek74 mg/LModerately hard
- Jarrell150 mg/LHard
- Sonterra147 mg/LHard
- Leander162 mg/LHard
- Liberty Hill150 mg/LHard
- Hutto141 mg/LHard
- Cedar Park157 mg/LHard
- Wells Branch63 mg/LModerately hard
- Pflugerville178 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 14, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.