Hard water in Hitchcock, TX

Tap water hardness
145mg/L
8.5gpg
Hard

Reported by City of Hitchcock · June 2022

TX typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
6
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Hitchcock has about 145 mg/L of hardness, which is 8.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from City of Hitchcock, dated June 2022.

Hitchcock on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Webster: 42 mg/LWebster 42Nassau Bay: 67 mg/LNassau Bay 67Friendswood: 69 mg/LFriendswood 69Bacliff: 94 mg/LBacliff 94Santa Fe: 100 mg/LSanta Fe 100League City: 114 mg/LLeague City 114Galveston: 164 mg/LGalveston 164Dickinson: 171 mg/LDickinson 171Texas City: 200 mg/LTexas City 200La Marque: 202 mg/LLa Marque 202Hitchcock 145mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Santa Fe: 100 mg/LSanta Fe 100League City: 114 mg/LLeague City 114Galveston: 164 mg/LGalveston 164Dickinson: 171 mg/LDickinson 171Texas City: 200 mg/LTexas City 200La Marque: 202 mg/LLa Marque 202145 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 145 mg/L, Hitchcock is 33 mg/L above the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 42 mg/L in Webster to 202 in La Marque.

What 145 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 145 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.

Softener size for Hitchcock

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 8.5 gpg = 1,908 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 12 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Hitchcock's water system

City of Hitchcock · PWSID TX0840004

6 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 8,346 people from surface water.

Health-based
6
Monitoring or reporting
7
Open now
1
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling42020–20251 open
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct22023Resolved

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 Hitchcock water hard?

Yes. It measures about 145 mg/L (8.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.

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

About 8.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 145 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.5.

What size water softener do I need in Hitchcock?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.5 gpg works out to about 1,908 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 12 days.

Has the Hitchcock water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 6 health-based violations for City of Hitchcock since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 7 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, June 28, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.