How hard is the water in Santa Fe, TX?

Tap water hardness
100mg/L
5.8gpg
Moderately hardReports range 100–148

Reported by Galveston County Wcid 8 · June 2022

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

Santa Fe water measures 100 mg/L (5.8 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Galveston County Wcid 8, dated June 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 100 to 148 mg/L.

Santa Fe on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Webster: 42 mg/LWebster 42Seabrook: 61 mg/LSeabrook 61Nassau Bay: 67 mg/LNassau Bay 67Friendswood: 69 mg/LFriendswood 69Bacliff: 94 mg/LBacliff 94League City: 114 mg/LLeague City 114Hitchcock: 145 mg/LHitchcock 145Dickinson: 171 mg/LDickinson 171Texas City: 200 mg/LTexas City 200La Marque: 202 mg/LLa Marque 202Santa Fe 100mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Webster: 42 mg/LWebster 42Friendswood: 69 mg/LFriendswood 69League City: 114 mg/LLeague City 114Hitchcock: 145 mg/LHitchcock 145Dickinson: 171 mg/LDickinson 171La Marque: 202 mg/LLa Marque 202100 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 100 mg/L, Santa Fe is 12 mg/L below the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 42 mg/L in Webster to 202 in La Marque.

What 100 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 Santa Fe

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.8 gpg = 1,312 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 18 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Santa Fe's water system

Galveston County Wcid 8 · PWSID TX0840009

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 7,065 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

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 Santa Fe water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 100 mg/L (5.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Santa Fe in grains per gallon?

About 5.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 100 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.8.

What size water softener do I need in Santa Fe?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.8 gpg works out to about 1,312 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 18 days.

Has the Santa Fe water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Galveston County Wcid 8 since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, 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 22, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.