Tacoma, WA water hardness

Tap water hardness
22mg/L
1.3gpg
Soft

Reported by Tacoma Water Division City of · September 2025

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

The water in Tacoma carries roughly 22 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.3 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Tacoma Water Division City of, dated September 2025.

Tacoma on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36Fircrest: 22 mg/LFircrest 22University Place: 22 mg/LUniversity Place 22Waller: 22 mg/LWaller 22Midland: 22 mg/LMidland 22Summit: 22 mg/LSummit 22Parkland: 22 mg/LParkland 22Federal Way: 31 mg/LFederal Way 31Milton: 38 mg/LMilton 38Wollochet: 46 mg/LWollochet 46Lakewood: 72 mg/LLakewood 72Tacoma 22mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36Fircrest: 22 mg/LFircrest 22University Place: 22 mg/LUniversity. 22Waller: 22 mg/LWaller 22Midland: 22 mg/LMidland 22Milton: 38 mg/LMilton 38Wollochet: 46 mg/LWollochet 4622 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 22 mg/L, Tacoma is 14 mg/L below the typical Washington figure of 36. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 22 mg/L in Fircrest to 72 in Lakewood.

What 22 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 22 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 Tacoma's water system

Tacoma Water Division City of · PWSID WA5386800

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 446,245 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Tacoma water hard?

No. It measures about 22 mg/L (1.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 22 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.3.

Has the Tacoma water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Tacoma Water Division City of since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 145 cities in Washington

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 22, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.