Hard water in Cedar City, UT
County estimate from 873 water samples in Iron County · July 2026
- UT typical
- 231 mg/L
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- County estimate
Water samples from around Cedar City put hardness at about 224 mg/L (13.1 gpg), which would be very hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 873 samples taken across Iron County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Cedar City's treated tap water.
Cedar City sits close to the typical Utah figure of 231 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 96 mg/L in Saratoga Springs to 260 in Hurricane.
What 224 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 224 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 × 13.1 gpg = 2,948 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.
EPA record for Cedar City's water system
We could not match Cedar City to a community water system in EPA's records. Your water bill or the yearly Consumer Confidence Report names the system and its ID.
Questions
Is Cedar City water hard?
Yes. It measures about 224 mg/L (13.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Cedar City in grains per gallon?
About 13.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 224 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 13.1.
What size water softener do I need in Cedar City?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 13.1 gpg works out to about 2,948 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.
Nearby cities
- Hurricane260 mg/LVery hard
- Washington260 mg/LVery hard
- Ivins174 mg/LHard
- St. George138 mg/LHard
- Payson256 mg/LVery hard
- Spanish Fork256 mg/LVery hard
- Springville256 mg/LVery hard
- Eagle Mountain256 mg/LVery hard
- Provo256 mg/LVery hard
- Saratoga Springs96 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.