Ellensburg, WA water hardness

Tap water hardness
60mg/L
3.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Ellensburg Water Dept · January 2025

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

Tap water in Ellensburg has about 60 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Ellensburg Water Dept, dated January 2025.

Ellensburg on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36Union Gap: 31 mg/LUnion Gap 31Yakima: 39 mg/LYakima 39Toppenish: 63 mg/LToppenish 63East Wenatchee: 80 mg/LEast Wenatchee 80Wenatchee: 80 mg/LWenatchee 80Terrace Heights: 88 mg/LTerrace Heights 88Selah: 147 mg/LSelah 147Moses Lake: 168 mg/LMoses Lake 168Grandview: 208 mg/LGrandview 208Ephrata: 230 mg/LEphrata 230Ellensburg 60mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36Union Gap: 31 mg/LUnion Gap 31Yakima: 39 mg/LYakima 39East Wenatchee: 80 mg/LEast Wenat. 80Wenatchee: 80 mg/LWenatchee 80Terrace Heights: 88 mg/LTerrace He. 88Selah: 147 mg/LSelah 14760 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 60 mg/L, Ellensburg is 24 mg/L above the typical Washington figure of 36. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 31 mg/L in Union Gap to 230 in Ephrata.

What 60 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 60 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 Ellensburg's water system

Ellensburg Water Dept · PWSID WA5322950

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 20,900 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
9
Open now
0

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 Ellensburg water hard?

No. It measures about 60 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 60 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.5.

Has the Ellensburg water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Ellensburg Water Dept since 2016. There were also 9 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 145 cities in Washington

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, January 29, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.