Hard water in San Angelo, TX
Reported by City of San Angelo · October 2024
- TX typical
- 112 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 2
- Softener for 3 people
- 32k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in San Angelo has about 346 mg/L of hardness, which is 20.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as very hard. The number comes from City of San Angelo, dated October 2024.
San Angelo sits 234 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 76 mg/L in Breckenridge to 381 in Odessa.
What 346 mg/L means at home
Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.
Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.
Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.
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 346 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 × 20.2 gpg = 4,552 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.
EPA record for San Angelo's water system
2 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 105,229 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 2
- Monitoring or reporting
- 4
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct | 2 | 2024 | 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 San Angelo water hard?
Yes. It measures about 346 mg/L (20.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in San Angelo in grains per gallon?
About 20.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 346 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 20.2.
What size water softener do I need in San Angelo?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 20.2 gpg works out to about 4,552 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.
Has the San Angelo water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 2 health-based violations for City of San Angelo since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 4 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Sweetwater209 mg/LVery hard
- Abilene214 mg/LVery hard
- Snyder101 mg/LModerately hard
- Midland380 mg/LVery hard
- Odessa381 mg/LVery hard
- West Odessa329 mg/LVery hard
- Fredericksburg304 mg/LVery hard
- Kerrville197 mg/LVery hard
- Lamesa185 mg/LVery hard
- Breckenridge76 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 20, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.