How hard is the water in Richland, WA?

Tap water hardness
89mg/L
5.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Richland City of · October 2024

WA typical
36 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Richland carries roughly 89 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.2 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Richland City of, dated October 2024.

Richland on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36West Richland: 33 mg/LWest Richland 33Othello: 33 mg/LOthello 33Walla Walla: 39 mg/LWalla Walla 39Toppenish: 63 mg/LToppenish 63Terrace Heights: 88 mg/LTerrace Heights 88Kennewick: 96 mg/LKennewick 96Finley: 96 mg/LFinley 96Moses Lake: 168 mg/LMoses Lake 168Grandview: 208 mg/LGrandview 208Pasco: 268 mg/LPasco 268Richland 89mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36West Richland: 33 mg/LWest Richl. 33Othello: 33 mg/LOthello 33Kennewick: 96 mg/LKennewick 96Finley: 96 mg/LFinley 96Grandview: 208 mg/LGrandview 208Pasco: 268 mg/LPasco 26889 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 89 mg/L, Richland is 53 mg/L above the typical Washington figure of 36. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 33 mg/L in West Richland to 268 in Pasco.

What 89 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.

Softener size for Richland

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.2 gpg = 1,174 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Richland's water system

Richland City of · PWSID WA5372250

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 106,499 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
25
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 Richland water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 89 mg/L (5.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 89 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.2.

What size water softener do I need in Richland?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.2 gpg works out to about 1,174 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Richland water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Richland City of since 2016. There were also 25 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, October 1, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.