Bothell, WA water hardness

Tap water hardness
19mg/L
1.1gpg
Soft

Reported by Alderwood Water District · September 2025

WA typical
36 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Bothell has about 19 mg/L of hardness, which is 1.1 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Alderwood Water District, dated September 2025.

Bothell on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36Bothell East: 13 mg/LBothell East 13Bothell West: 13 mg/LBothell West 13Brier: 13 mg/LBrier 13Alderwood Manor: 13 mg/LAlderwood Manor 13Mill Creek East: 13 mg/LMill Creek East 13Mountlake Terrace: 14 mg/LMountlake Terrace 14Maltby: 16 mg/LMaltby 16Kenmore: 25 mg/LKenmore 25Woodinville: 25 mg/LWoodinville 25Lake Forest Park: 30 mg/LLake Forest Park 30Bothell 19mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36Bothell East: 13 mg/LBothell Ea. 13Bothell West: 13 mg/LBothell We. 13Brier: 13 mg/LBrier 13Alderwood Manor: 13 mg/LAlderwood. 13Kenmore: 25 mg/LKenmore 25Woodinville: 25 mg/LWoodinville 2519 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 19 mg/L, Bothell is 17 mg/L below the typical Washington figure of 36. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 13 mg/L in Bothell East to 30 in Lake Forest Park.

What 19 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 19 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Bothell's water system

Bothell Water City of · PWSID WA5307900

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 33,643 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

EPA lists Bothell Water City of as the system serving Bothell. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Bothell.

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 Bothell water hard?

No. It measures about 19 mg/L (1.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Bothell in grains per gallon?

About 1.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 19 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.1.

Has the Bothell water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bothell Water City of since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 145 cities in Washington

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 16, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.