California
Water Quality in the State of California
California’s water is controlled by the state government. Most of the supplied water for Southern California and the Central Valley (home to half of the state’s population), depends on three major projects; State Water Project, the Colorado River Aqueduct (imported water from out of state) and the Central Valley Project. California’s vast agricultural industry is also dependent on these water projects, both large and small.
Groundwater is also an important part of the state’s water supplies, comprising about 40% of the water used in an average year, and 60% or more in a drought year. But groundwater is very much location-dependent: some communities have no groundwater and rely on surface water while other communities may have only groundwater. Other communities depend on a mix of imported water and groundwater, and even some rely solely on imported water.
California Water Hardness by City
California water is considered hard to very hard. The average water hardness for California residents is 100-300 PPM. The state’s most populous city and the second-most populous city in the US, Los Angeles, has a water hardness average of 127 PPM and San Francisco has a hard water level of 47 PPM.
Who has the hardest water in the United States?
Ventura California with a water hardness or 666 PPM is the hardest water in the United States. This is among the municipal water quality reports we have documented. Ventura Water quality report 2022.
For more information on water hardness in specific cities, please see the table below.
| City & Zip Codes | Water Hardness Data |
|---|---|
Anaheim 92804 | 92805 | 92801 | 92802 | 92806 | 92807 | 92808 | 127 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg |
Bakersfield 93307 | 93306 | 93312 | 93309 | 93308 | 93313 | 93304 | 93311 | 93305 | 93314 | 93301 | 80 PPM (mg/L) or 5 gpg |
Bellflower 90706 | 90707 | 230 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg |
Buena Park 90620 | 90621 | 90622 | 90623 | 90624 | 236 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg |
91501 | 91502 | 91504 | 91505 | 91506 | 271 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Chino 91710 | 91708 | 188 PPM (mg/L) or 11 gpg |
Chula Vista 91911 | 91910 | 91913 | 91915 | 91914 | 194 PPM (mg/L) or 11 gpg |
Cresent City 95531 | 59 PPM (mg/L) or 3 gpg |
Corona 92882 | 92880 | 92879 | 92883 | 92881 | 353 PPM (mg/L) or 21 gpg |
Coachella 92236 | 140 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg |
Compton 90059 | 90220 | 90221 | 90222 | 90223 | 90224 | 219 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg |
El Monte 91732 | 91731 | 270 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Fontana 92355 | 92336 | 92337 | 104 PPM (mg/L) or 6 gpg |
Fountain Valley 92728 | 199 PPM (mg/L) or 12 gpg |
Fremont 94536 | 94538 | 94539 | 94555 | 158 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg |
Fresno 93722 | 93727 | 93720 | 93702 | 93726 | 93706 | 93711 | 93705 | 93703 | 93710 | 93704 | 93725 | 93728 | 93723 | 93730 | 93701 | 93721 | 93650 | 123 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg |
Fountain Valley 92708 | 200 PPM (mg/L) or 12 gpg |
Fullerton 92833 | 92831 | 92832 | 92835 | 254 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg |
Garden Grove 92840 | 92843 | 92841 | 92844 | 92845 | 119 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg |
Gilroy 95020 | 236 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg |
91205 | 91206 | 91201 | 91202 | 91204 | 91208 | 91203 | 91207 | 91210 | 259 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg |
Hemet 92544 | 92545 | 92543 | 192 PPM (mg/L) or 11 gpg |
Huntington Beach 92647 | 92646 | 92648 | 92649 | 240 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg |
90301 | 90302 | 90303 | 90304 | 90305 | 90306 | 90307 | 90308 | 90309 | 90311 | 90312 | 293 PPM (mg/L) or 17 gpg |
Irvine 92620 | 92618 | 92612 | 92604 | 92614 | 92602 | 92606 | 92603 | 92617 | 152 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg |
Laguna Niguel 92607 | 92653 | 92677 | 273 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
La Habra 90631 | 255 PPM (mg/L) 15 gpg |
Lake Forest 92609 | 92610 | 92630 | 92679 | 92691 | 274 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Livermore 94550 | 94551 | 100 PPM (mg/L) or 6 gpg |
Long Beach 90805 | 90813 | 90806 | 90815 | 90802 | 90804 | 90808 | 90810 | 90803 | 90807 | 90814 | 90822 | 90831 | 137 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg |
90011 | 90044 | 90003 | 90026 | 90019 | 90022 | 90037 | 90042 | 90006 | 90004 | 90066 | 90001 | 90034 | 90018 | 90002 | 90063 | 90046 | 90024 | 90057 | 90047 | 90025 | 90065 | 90032 | 90033 | 90023 | 90016 | 90059 | 90027 | 90043 | 90007 | 90045 | 90005 | 90020 | 90031 | 90036 | 90029 | 90049 | 90012 | 90062 | 90008 | 90028 | 90039 | 90041 | 90035 | 90038 | 90061 | 90017 | 90064 | 90048 | 90015 | 90068 | 90040 | 90013 | 90077 | 90014 | 90056 | 90089 | 90010 | 90021 | 90058 | 90067 | 90073 | 90071 | 90079 | 90095 | 127 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg |
Lynwood 90262 | 262 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg |
92254 | 393 PPM (mg/L) or 23 gpg |
Menifee 92584 | 92585 | 92586 | 92587 | 93 PPM (mg/L) or 5 gpg |
Mendocino 95460 | 101 PPM (mg/L) or 5 gpg |
Mission Viejo 92653 | 92690 | 92691 | 92692 | 274 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Modesto 95355 | 95350| 95351 | 95358 | 95356 | 95354 | 95357 | 224 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg |
Newport Beach 92603 | 92617 | 92625 | 92651 | 92657 | 92658 | 92659 | 92660 | 92661 | 92662 | 92663 | 274 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Norwalk 90650 | 90651 | 90652 | 90670 | 267 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Oakland 94601 | 94602 | 94603 | 94605 | 94606 | 94607 | 94609 | 94610 | 94611 | 94612 | 94613 | 94618 | 94619 | 94621 | 140 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg |
Oceanside 92057 | 92056 | 92058 | 92054 | 168 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg |
Orange 92867 | 92869 | 92868 | 92865 | 92866 | 108 PPM (mg/L) or 6 gpg |
Oxnard 93033 | 93030 | 93036 | 93035 | 285 PPM (mg/L) or 17 gpg |
92210 | 92260 | 92211 | 92261 | 92255 | 361 PPM (mg/L) or 21 gpg |
Pasadena 91104 | 91107 | 91103 | 91106 | 91101 | 91105 | 255 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg |
Pico Rivera 90660 | 241 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg |
Rancho Santa Margarita 92679 | 92688 | 92692 | 274 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Redding 96003 | 96001 | 96002 | 96049 | 31 PPM (mg/L) or 2 gpg |
Redondo Beach 90277 | 90278 | 370 PPM (mg/L) or 22 gpg |
92503 | 92504 | 92507 | 92505 | 92506 | 92508 | 92501 | 71 PPM (mg/L) or 4 gpg |
Roseville 95661 | 95678 | 95747 | 191 PPM (mg/L) 11 gpg |
95823 | 95828 | 95822 | 95831 | 95833 | 95835 | 95838 | 95826 | 95825 | 95820 | 95821 | 95842 | 95824 | 95834 | 95829 | 95815 | 95864 | 95818 | 95827 | 95841 | 95819 | 95816 | 95817 | 95832 | 95814 | 95811 | 95830 | 95837 | 94574 | 150 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg |
Salinas 93906 | 93905 | 93901 | 93907 | 93908 | 160 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg |
San Bernardino 92407 | 92404 | 92410 | 92405 | 92411 | 92408 | 92401 | 249 PPM (mg/L) 15 gpg |
San Clemente 92672 | 92673 | 92674 | 274 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
92154 | 92126 | 92105 | 92114 | 92115 | 92117 | 92113 | 92130 | 92129 | 92128 | 92111 | 92127 | 92122 | 92109 | 92104 | 92102 | 92101 | 92139 | 92103 | 92131 | 92116 | 92124 | 92123 | 92107 | 92110 | 92120 | 92119 | 92108 | 92106 | 92121 | 92140 | 92145 | 92135 | 92147 | 92155 | 92134 | 92132 | 241 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg |
San Francisco 94112 | 94110 | 94122 | 94109 | 94116 | 94117 | 94121 | 94134 | 94118 | 94124 | 94115 | 94114 | 94132 | 94102 | 94131 | 94107 | 94103 | 94133 | 94123 | 94127 | 94108 | 94105 | 94158 | 94129 | 94111 | 94130 | 94104 | 94128 | 47 PPM (mg/L) or 3 gpg |
95123 | 95127 | 95111 | 95112 | 95122 | 95116 | 95125 | 95124 | 95148 | 95136 | 95132 | 95129 | 95121 | 95120 | 95128 | 95126 | 95118 | 95131 | 95117 | 95133 | 95134 | 95135 | 95138 | 95110 | 95130 | 95119 | 95139 | 95113 | 132 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg |
93101 | 93105 | 93103 | 93111 | 93110 | 93109 | 93108 | 391 PPM (mg/L) or 23 gpg |
Santa Clarita 91350 | 91390 | 271 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Santa Maria 93453 | 93458 | 93455 | 93454 | 235 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg |
Santa Monica 90405 | 90403 | 90404 | 90402 | 90401 | 114 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg |
Stockton 95206 | 95207 | 95209 | 95210 | 95205 | 95219 | 95204 | 95212 | 95215 | 95203 | 95202 | 95211 | 194 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg |
Sunnyvale 94087 | 94086 | 94085 | 94089 | 300 PPM (mg/L) or 17 gpg |
Temecula 92592 | 92591 | 92590 | 152 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg |
Torrance 90248 | 90277 | 90278 | 90501 | 90503 | 90504 | 90505 | 90506 | 90507 | 90508 | 90509 | 90510 | 427 PPM (mg/L) or 25 gpg |
Tracy 95376 | 95377 | 95391 | 95304 | 143 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg |
Turlock 95380 | 95382 | 115 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg |
Tustin 92780 | 92782
| 312 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg |
Union City 94587 | 89 PPM (mg/L) or 5 gpg |
Upland 91784 | 91786 | 150 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg |
Vacaville 95687 | 95688 | 183 PPM (mg/L) or 11 gpg |
Valencia 91354 | 91355 | 268 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Vallejo 94589 | 94590 | 94591 | 129 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg |
Ventura 93001 | 93003 | 93004 | 666 PPM (mg/L) or 39 gpg |
Victorville 92392 | 92394 | 92395 | 31 PPM (mg/L) or 2 gpg |
Visalia 93277 | 93291 | 93292 | 81 PPM (mg/L) or 5 gpg |
Vista 92081 | 92083 | 92084 | 161 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg |
Walnut Creek 94595 | 94596 | 94597 | 94598 | 78 PPM (mg/L) or 5 gpg |
Watsonville 95076 | 252 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg |
West Corvina 91790 | 91791 | 150 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg |
West Sacramento 95605 | 95691 | 65 PPM (mg/L) or 4 gpg |
Westminster 92683 | 239 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg |
Whittier 90601 | 90602 | 90603 | 90604 | 90605 | 90606 | 260 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg |
Woodland 95695 | 95776 | 63 PPM (mg/L) or 4 gpg |
Yorba Linda 92808 | 92885 | 92886 | 92887 | 274 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg |
Yuba City 95991 | 95993 | 58 PPM (mg/L) or 3 gpg |
 | |
PPM = Parts Per Million
mg/L = Milligrams Per Liter
gpg = Grains Per Gallon
Agriculture and Water Hardness
California has the largest economy in the United States, and as a sovereign State, California would rank as the world’s 5th largest economy. In 2018, California brought in $3 trillion in Gross State Product. Top industries include Business services, Government, Finance, Manufacturing, Media and Agriculture. California is the nation’s top agriculture producing state. Not only does California supply the majority of United States agricultural products, but it is also a top contender for international agriculture exports as well. Top California crops are dairy ($6.6 billion annual), grapes ($5.8 billion annual) and almonds ($5.6 billion annual).
As the majority of California has water rich in calcium (the primary source of water hardness), many farms and food processing plants experience issues related to scale buildup in their irrigators, production, and mechanical equipment, due to the mass quantities of water flow every day. In addition, contaminants polluting soil and waterways have increased greatly over the past few decades and there is a greater need for waste and chemical control. Many farmers are looking for eco-friendly solutions that can increase the quality and yield of their crops while saving water. Read more about how HydroFLOW can increase crop yield.
Solutions to your Water Quality Problems
Fixing your water quality issues in the state of California will depend on your specific water source. It is best to test your potable water supply in order to get a better understanding of your water quality. Testing is relatively cheap. The test results will allow you to understand if your potable water has issues that need to be addressed. Common solutions to water contamination problems may include a water filtration system, a reverse osmosis system or other whole home water treatment solutions.
A problem that almost all California residents will have to deal with is hard water. One old-fashioned, inefficient, expensive and unhealthy method to treat hard water is with a salt-based water softener. Most people don’t realize that if you’re using a water softener you are basically removing calcium and magnesium from your drinking water and adding salt to your diet. In addition, many states are banning the use of salt-based water softeners.
Alternative water treatment solutions such as “water conditioners” have been gaining popularity in recent years because they are cheap to operate and the best eco-friendly solution for hard water. Hydropath technology, which powers the HydroFLOW water conditioners is by far the most efficient and cost-effective eco-friendly solution to deal with hard water problems. To learn more about how HydroFLOW solves the problems created by hard water, please check out our technology page. You might want to read this blog that explains the difference between water conditioners and water softeners: Water Conditioner vs. Water Softener Blog.
