Anaheim, CA water hardness
Anaheim Public Utilities publishes a hardness of 300 mg/L (18 grains per gallon, also its own figure) for its system, on the page cited below. On the USGS scale that is very hard water.
The published figure, exactly as it appears
This is the hardness line transcribed from the source, with nothing added:
The hardness of Anaheim's water is about 300 parts per million, or about 18 grains per gallon,
Anaheim Public Utilities
Units as published: parts per million, with grains per gallon given alongside. What kind of figure it is: a single value. Retrieved 2026-10-17.
Anaheim hardness in mg/L and grains per gallon
Water-quality reports use mg/L (identical to ppm). Softener instructions and plumbing specifications use grains per gallon. Both are below. Where a figure is our arithmetic rather than the utility's own number, it says so.
| Figure | mg/L (ppm) | Grains per gallon | Whose number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published average | 300 | 18 | both published by the utility |
| Plotted on the scale above | 300 | 17.5 | published average; the gpg here is our conversion at 17.1, so it can differ slightly from a utility’s own rounded gpg figure |
The conversion, both ways: gpg = mg/L ÷ 17.1 and mg/L = gpg × 17.1. Worked for this system: 300 ÷ 17.1 = 17.5 gpg. The converter does °dH and °f as well, and why the factor is 17.1 explains where the number comes from.
What this figure does not tell you
Service area and source water
| Utility | Anaheim Public Utilities |
|---|---|
| Service area as published | Anaheim Public Utilities' water system. The page does not break the figure down by source or area. |
Provenance of every number on this page
| Source document | Anaheim Public Utilities, “Water Hardness” page |
|---|---|
| Source URL | https://www.anaheim.net/672/Water-Hardness |
| Published by | Anaheim Public Utilities |
| Report year | Not stated on the source page |
| Year note | The page states no year for the hardness figures and cites no report. |
| Retrieved | 2026-10-17 |
| Classification bands | USGS Water Science School, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
Notes the report forces on this page
- Both figures are prefaced with “about” and the utility publishes no sampling range.
- 300 ppm divided by 17.1 is 17.5 against the utility's own “about 18” grains per gallon. Both are shown as published.
- The page states no year and cites no report. A separate Anaheim frequently-asked-questions page describes the water as “considered to be hard” without giving a number.
If you are sizing a softener for Anaheim water
At 18 gpg, the sizing arithmetic starts from your household's water use, not from the hardness alone. The calculator below is pre-filled with this system's figure and every other input is an editable assumption.
Whether a softener is worth installing at this hardness is a judgement, not arithmetic, and it is not one this site makes for you. Nothing here has been tested by the author.
Where Anaheim sits against other verified systems
- Portland, OR 9 mg/L 0.5 gpg Soft
- Boston, MA 16 mg/L 1 gpg Soft
- Manchester, NH 17.9 mg/L 1 gpg Soft
- Raleigh, NC 25 mg/L 1.47 gpg Soft
- New York, NY 32 mg/L 2 gpg Soft
- Charlotte, NC 32 mg/L 1.9 gpg Soft
- Memphis, TN 46 mg/L 2.7 gpg Soft
- Anchorage, AK 56 mg/L 3.3 gpg Soft
- Oakland, CA 68.4 mg/L 4 gpg Moderately hard
- Nashville, TN 77.3 mg/L 4.5 gpg Moderately hard
- Sacramento, CA 83 mg/L 4.9 gpg Moderately hard
- Fresno, CA 89.3 mg/L 5.2 gpg Moderately hard
- Saint Paul, MN 90 mg/L 5 gpg Moderately hard
- Austin, TX 93 mg/L 5.4 gpg Moderately hard
- Washington, DC 95 mg/L 5.6 gpg Moderately hard
- Birmingham, AL 98 mg/L 5.7 gpg Moderately hard
- Kansas City, MO 100 mg/L 5.8 gpg Moderately hard
- Denver, CO 105 mg/L 6.1 gpg Moderately hard
- Tulsa, OK 114.5 mg/L 6.7 gpg Moderately hard
- Louisville, KY 115 mg/L 6.7 gpg Moderately hard
- Columbus, OH 120 mg/L 7 gpg Moderately hard
- Cleveland, OH 120 mg/L 7 gpg Moderately hard
- Philadelphia, PA 125 mg/L 7.3 gpg Hard
- Ann Arbor, MI 126 mg/L 7.4 gpg Hard
- Cincinnati, OH 133 mg/L 7.8 gpg Hard
- Milwaukee, WI 137 mg/L 8.01 gpg Hard
- St. Louis, MO 138 mg/L 8.1 gpg Hard
- Fort Worth, TX 145 mg/L 8.5 gpg Hard
- Honolulu, HI 162.5 mg/L 9.5 gpg Hard
- Wichita, KS 170 mg/L 9.9 gpg Hard
- Omaha, NE 170 mg/L 10 gpg Hard
- Los Angeles, CA 192 mg/L 11.2 gpg Very hard
- Lincoln, NE 192 mg/L 11.2 gpg Very hard
- Tampa, FL 220 mg/L 12.9 gpg Very hard
- Phoenix, AZ 237 mg/L 13.9 gpg Very hard
- Mesa, AZ 239.4 mg/L 14 gpg Very hard
- San Diego, CA 276 mg/L 16 gpg Very hard
- Las Vegas, NV 280 mg/L 16 gpg Very hard
- Chandler, AZ 282.2 mg/L 16.5 gpg Very hard
- San Antonio, TX 299.3 mg/L 17.5 gpg Very hard
- Anaheim, CA 300 mg/L 18 gpg Very hard
- Indianapolis, IN 317 mg/L 19 gpg Very hard
- Madison, WI 324.9 mg/L 19 gpg Very hard
- Scottsdale, AZ 352.5 mg/L 20.6 gpg Very hard
mg/L as calcium carbonate. Each classification band is drawn the same width, so the axis is not linear in mg/L.
Systems with similar published hardness
- San Antonio, TX San Antonio Water System (SAWS), 299.3 mg/L (17.5 gpg)
- Indianapolis, IN Citizens Energy Group (Indianapolis), 317 mg/L (18.5 gpg)
- Chandler, AZ City of Chandler, 282.2 mg/L (16.5 gpg)
- Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Valley Water District, 280 mg/L (16.4 gpg)
All 44 verified systems How to find hardness in your own utility's report If you are on a well instead