Hard water in West Valley City, UT
Reported by Granger-Hunter Improvement District · October 2023
- UT typical
- 231 mg/L
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in West Valley City carries roughly 237 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 13.9 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Granger-Hunter Improvement District, dated October 2023. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 237 to 389 mg/L.
At 237 mg/L, West Valley City is close to the typical Utah figure of 231 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 142 mg/L in South Jordan to 365 in Kearns.
What 237 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 237 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 × 13.9 gpg = 3,121 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.
EPA record for West Valley City's water system
We could not match West Valley 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 West Valley City water hard?
Yes. It measures about 237 mg/L (13.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in West Valley City in grains per gallon?
About 13.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 237 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 13.9.
What size water softener do I need in West Valley City?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 13.9 gpg works out to about 3,121 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.
Nearby cities
- Kearns365 mg/LVery hard
- Taylorsville236 mg/LVery hard
- West Jordan243 mg/LVery hard
- South Salt Lake231 mg/LVery hard
- Murray216 mg/LVery hard
- Salt Lake City231 mg/LVery hard
- Midvale161 mg/LHard
- South Jordan142 mg/LHard
- Millcreek231 mg/LVery hard
- Holladay231 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 26, 2023), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.