How hard is the water in East Wenatchee, WA?
Reported by Chelan CO PUD 1 · October 2025
- WA typical
- 36 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in East Wenatchee carries roughly 80 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.7 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Chelan CO PUD 1, dated October 2025.
At 80 mg/L, East Wenatchee is 44 mg/L above the typical Washington figure of 36. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 31 mg/L in Union Gap to 230 in Ephrata.
What 80 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.7 gpg = 1,053 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 22 days.
EPA record for East Wenatchee's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 26,519 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 6
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists East Wenatchee Water District as the system serving East Wenatchee. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for East Wenatchee.
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 East Wenatchee water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 80 mg/L (4.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in East Wenatchee in grains per gallon?
About 4.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 80 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.7.
What size water softener do I need in East Wenatchee?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.7 gpg works out to about 1,053 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 22 days.
Has the East Wenatchee water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for East Wenatchee Water District since 2016. There were also 6 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Wenatchee80 mg/LModerately hard
- Ellensburg60 mg/LSoft
- Ephrata230 mg/LVery hard
- Moses Lake168 mg/LHard
- Selah147 mg/LHard
- Terrace Heights88 mg/LModerately hard
- Yakima39 mg/LSoft
- Union Gap31 mg/LSoft
- Othello33 mg/LSoft
- North Bend41 mg/LSoft
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 7, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.