How hard is the water in Pasadena, TX?

Tap water hardness
68mg/L
4.0gpg
Moderately hardReports range 68–112

Reported by City of Pasadena · September 2025

TX typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Pasadena carries roughly 68 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.0 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from City of Pasadena, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 68 to 112 mg/L.

Pasadena on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Jacinto City: 33 mg/LJacinto City 33Webster: 42 mg/LWebster 42Channelview: 42 mg/LChannelview 42Cloverleaf: 48 mg/LCloverleaf 48La Porte: 51 mg/LLa Porte 51Galena Park: 57 mg/LGalena Park 57South Houston: 60 mg/LSouth Houston 60Seabrook: 61 mg/LSeabrook 61Nassau Bay: 67 mg/LNassau Bay 67Deer Park: 85 mg/LDeer Park 85Pasadena 68mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Webster: 42 mg/LWebster 42La Porte: 51 mg/LLa Porte 51Galena Park: 57 mg/LGalena Park 57South Houston: 60 mg/LSouth Hous. 60Nassau Bay: 67 mg/LNassau Bay 67Deer Park: 85 mg/LDeer Park 8568 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 68 mg/L, Pasadena is 44 mg/L below the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 33 mg/L in Jacinto City to 85 in Deer Park.

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 Pasadena

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 Pasadena's water system

City of Pasadena · PWSID TX1010293

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 152,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
1

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 Pasadena 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 Pasadena 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 Pasadena?

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 Pasadena water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for City of Pasadena since 2016. There were also 3 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, September 26, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.