How hard is the water in Sugar Land, TX?

Tap water hardness
118mg/L
6.9gpg
Moderately hardReports range 96–118

Reported by City of Sugar Land · September 2025

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

Tap water in Sugar Land has about 118 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.9 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from City of Sugar Land, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 96 to 118 mg/L.

Sugar Land on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Bellaire: 54 mg/LBellaire 54Stafford: 57 mg/LStafford 57South Houston: 60 mg/LSouth Houston 60Richmond: 62 mg/LRichmond 62Missouri City: 67 mg/LMissouri City 67Pearland: 79 mg/LPearland 79West University Place: 88 mg/LWest University Place 88Houston: 96 mg/LHouston 96Rosenberg: 108 mg/LRosenberg 108Sienna: 170 mg/LSienna 170Sugar Land 118mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Bellaire: 54 mg/LBellaire 54Stafford: 57 mg/LStafford 57Richmond: 62 mg/LRichmond 62Missouri City: 67 mg/LMissouri C. 67Rosenberg: 108 mg/LRosenberg 108Sienna: 170 mg/LSienna 170118 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 118 mg/L, Sugar Land is close to the typical Texas figure of 112 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 54 mg/L in Bellaire to 170 in Sienna.

What 118 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 Sugar Land

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.9 gpg = 1,555 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Sugar Land's water system

City of Sugar Land · PWSID TX0790005

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 80,381 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 Sugar Land water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 118 mg/L (6.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Sugar Land in grains per gallon?

About 6.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 118 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.9.

What size water softener do I need in Sugar Land?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.9 gpg works out to about 1,555 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.

Has the Sugar Land water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for City of Sugar Land 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, September 2, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.