Hard water in Vernon, TX
Reported by City of Vernon · June 2022
- TX typical
- 112 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 32k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Vernon has about 261 mg/L of hardness, which is 15.3 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as very hard. The number comes from City of Vernon, dated June 2022.
Vernon sits 149 mg/L above the typical Texas figure of 112. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 21 mg/L in Gainesville to 228 in Burkburnett.
What 261 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 261 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 × 15.3 gpg = 3,436 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 9 days.
EPA record for Vernon's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 11,002 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 7
- Open now
- 2
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 1 | 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 Vernon water hard?
Yes. It measures about 261 mg/L (15.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Vernon in grains per gallon?
About 15.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 261 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 15.3.
What size water softener do I need in Vernon?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 15.3 gpg works out to about 3,436 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 9 days.
Has the Vernon water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for City of Vernon since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 7 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Burkburnett228 mg/LVery hard
- Wichita Falls50 mg/LSoft
- Graham89 mg/LModerately hard
- Bowie184 mg/LVery hard
- Breckenridge76 mg/LModerately hard
- Mineral Wells91 mg/LModerately hard
- Abilene214 mg/LVery hard
- Springtown99 mg/LModerately hard
- Briar40 mg/LSoft
- Gainesville21 mg/LSoft
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 21, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.