Hard water in Horseshoe Bay, TX

Tap water hardness
159mg/L
9.3gpg
Hard

Reported by City of Horseshoe Bay · February 2025

TX typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
9
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Horseshoe Bay carries roughly 159 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 9.3 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from City of Horseshoe Bay, dated February 2025.

Horseshoe Bay on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Steiner Ranch: 94 mg/LSteiner Ranch 94Lakeway: 106 mg/LLakeway 106Bee Cave: 110 mg/LBee Cave 110Burnet: 139 mg/LBurnet 139Belterra: 143 mg/LBelterra 143Dripping Springs: 148 mg/LDripping Springs 148Liberty Hill: 150 mg/LLiberty Hill 150Cedar Park: 157 mg/LCedar Park 157Leander: 162 mg/LLeander 162Marble Falls: 171 mg/LMarble Falls 171Horseshoe Bay 159mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Lakeway: 106 mg/LLakeway 106Bee Cave: 110 mg/LBee Cave 110Burnet: 139 mg/LBurnet 139Dripping Springs: 148 mg/LDripping S. 148Liberty Hill: 150 mg/LLiberty Hi. 150Marble Falls: 171 mg/LMarble Fal. 171159 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Horseshoe Bay sits 47 mg/L above the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 94 mg/L in Steiner Ranch to 171 in Marble Falls.

What 159 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 159 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 Horseshoe Bay

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 9.3 gpg = 2,090 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 11 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Horseshoe Bay's water system

City of Horseshoe Bay · PWSID TX1500015

9 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 12,729 people from surface water.

Health-based
9
Monitoring or reporting
20
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Total Coliform Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Total Coliform Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)filtration and disinfection12024Resolved
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct52018–2021Resolved
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct12019Resolved
Total Coliform Rulebacteria22016Resolved

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 Horseshoe Bay water hard?

Yes. It measures about 159 mg/L (9.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.

What is the water hardness in Horseshoe Bay in grains per gallon?

About 9.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 159 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 9.3.

What size water softener do I need in Horseshoe Bay?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 9.3 gpg works out to about 2,090 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 11 days.

Has the Horseshoe Bay water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 9 health-based violations for City of Horseshoe Bay since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2), Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Haloacetic acids (HAA5). There were also 20 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, February 28, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.