Las Vegas Water Hardness by City & ZIP

Look Up Your Water Hardness

Nearly every home in the Las Vegas Valley gets very hard water, but the exact number depends on which utility serves you. Type your city, neighborhood or ZIP code into the tool below. It shows the utility most likely to serve that area and the hardness that utility published, in both ppm and grains per gallon (gpg), the unit used to size a softener.

ZIP codes and city names can cross utility boundaries, so treat the result as a starting point and confirm the utility named on your water bill.

What Your Hardness Number Means

Nebraska Extension publishes this scale, attributed to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Water Quality Association (UNL NebGuide G2275):

• Soft: under 1 gpg (0–17.1 mg/L)
• Slightly hard: 1–3.5 gpg (17.1–60 mg/L)
• Moderately hard: 3.5–7 gpg (60–120 mg/L)
• Hard: 7–10.5 gpg (120–180 mg/L)
• Very hard: over 10.5 gpg (over 180 mg/L)

The USGS uses the same breakpoints in mg/L, calling anything above 180 mg/L very hard. At 16 to 17 gpg, valley tap water is well past that line. To convert a lab result yourself, divide ppm by 17.1.

Hardness is not a health issue; LVVWD says the calcium and magnesium in local water do not pose a health risk (LVVWD). It is a scale issue: spots, crusty fixtures and mineral buildup in heaters and appliances. Once you know your gpg, plug it into our water softener size calculator, or weigh a softener versus a salt-free conditioner.