Yakima, WA water hardness

Tap water hardness
39mg/L
2.3gpg
Soft

Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · June 2024

WA typical
36 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Calculated from utility data

The water in Yakima carries roughly 39 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.3 grains per gallon. That is soft water. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (June 2024).

Yakima on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36Union Gap: 31 mg/LUnion Gap 31West Richland: 33 mg/LWest Richland 33Ellensburg: 60 mg/LEllensburg 60Toppenish: 63 mg/LToppenish 63East Wenatchee: 80 mg/LEast Wenatchee 80Wenatchee: 80 mg/LWenatchee 80Terrace Heights: 88 mg/LTerrace Heights 88Richland: 89 mg/LRichland 89Selah: 147 mg/LSelah 147Grandview: 208 mg/LGrandview 208Yakima 39mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36Union Gap: 31 mg/LUnion Gap 31Ellensburg: 60 mg/LEllensburg 60Toppenish: 63 mg/LToppenish 63Terrace Heights: 88 mg/LTerrace He. 88Selah: 147 mg/LSelah 147Grandview: 208 mg/LGrandview 20839 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 39 mg/L, Yakima is close to the typical Washington figure of 36 mg/L. 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 208 in Grandview.

What 39 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 39 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 Yakima's water system

Yakima Water Division City of · PWSID WA5399150

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 112,858 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Yakima.

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 Yakima water hard?

No. It measures about 39 mg/L (2.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 39 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.3.

Has the Yakima water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Yakima Water Division City of since 2016. There were also 3 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 (calculated from utility data, June 17, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.