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Burbank Water Is Very Hard — Here's What It Costs You Each Year
16.6 GPG · 285 ppm · +127% vs US average · 2024 report
Source: Burbank, 2024 report
Very HardBurbank water is very hard at 16.6 GPG (285 ppm). At this hardness a whole-house softener is strongly recommended — hard water here costs the average home roughly $2,042/year.
How we calculate this: based on the Battelle Memorial Institute study commissioned by the Water Quality Association (WQA), hard water is estimated to cost the average affected household roughly $800/year in 2010 dollars (~$1,230 today, after ~54% inflation). We scale that by 16.6 GPG versus a ~10 GPG reference. The percentages above come from the Battelle Memorial Institute study (commissioned by WQRF), the US Department of Energy, and the Water Quality Association. This is an estimate — not a certified per-household figure — and actual savings vary by water use, fuel type, and local rates.
Hardness
Parts per million
vs US average
Contaminants in water
How Burbank Compares
Water hardness scale
| Classification | Grains per gallon (GPG) | mg/L (ppm) | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft | 0–3.5 | 0–60 | No scale; softener unnecessary. |
| Slightly Hard | 3.5–7 | 60–120 | Minor spotting; conditioning optional. |
| Hard | 7–10.5 | 120–180 | Visible scale; softener recommended. |
| Very Hard← your water | 10.5+ | 180+ | Heavy scale; whole-home softener strongly recommended. |
Why Is Burbank Water So Hard?
Burbank’s water clocks in at 16.6 GPG, which puts it firmly in the “very hard” category. That’s more than double the USGS national average of roughly 7.3 GPG, and it means you’re dealing with water that’s carrying a serious load of dissolved calcium and magnesium.
The short version: Burbank gets its supply from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which pulls from the Colorado River and the State Water Project. That’s surface water, not groundwater. The Colorado River is the big culprit here. It starts in the Rocky Mountains and winds through thousands of miles of mineral-rich terrain before it ever reaches Southern California. Along the way, it picks up calcium and magnesium from limestone deposits, volcanic rock, and ancient seabed sediments in the desert Southwest. By the time that water travels through the Colorado River Aqueduct and arrives in Burbank, it’s carrying a heavy mineral load that no amount of reservoir settling is going to remove.
The State Water Project portion, which comes from Northern California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, is generally softer on its own. But here’s the thing: the two supplies are blended, and the Colorado River water dominates the hardness profile. The result is water that’s consistently above the 10.5 GPG threshold the USGS uses for “very hard.”
You’re not imagining it if your glasses spot, your shower doors etch, and your soap doesn’t lather the way it should. That’s the calcium and magnesium doing exactly what they do. And because hardness is classified by the EPA as purely aesthetic (it falls under Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels, not health regulations), the utility has no mandate to remove it. It’s safe to drink. It’s just hard on your plumbing.
How Burbank Compares to Nearby Cities
Burbank sits in a region where hard water is the norm rather than the exception. The USGS estimates that roughly 85% of American households deal with hard water, and Southern California runs well above that average thanks to the same imported supply network.
Glendale, Pasadena, and Los Angeles all pull from the same Metropolitan Water District infrastructure, so they’re drinking from the same Colorado River and State Water Project blend. That means their hardness levels track closely with Burbank’s, though local groundwater blending can shift the numbers a bit from city to city. Pasadena, for instance, supplements with its own local wells in the Raymond Basin, which can dilute the imported supply slightly depending on the season and how much groundwater they’re pumping.
The key difference between Burbank and its neighbors isn’t the source, it’s the treatment. Some nearby cities blend in more local groundwater, which can soften the final product. Burbank relies more heavily on the imported surface water, and that’s why its numbers tend to sit at the higher end of the regional range.
Here’s what that means practically. At 16.6 GPG, Burbank’s water is hard enough that the WQA’s industry estimates on cost and appliance wear genuinely apply. According to the WQA, hard water raises energy, appliance-wear, and cleaning costs, and the effect scales with your actual hardness. The Battelle Memorial Institute and WQRF found in their 2009 study that gas water heaters lose roughly 4% efficiency per 5 GPG in a typical 50-gallon-per-day household. At Burbank’s level, that’s not a rounding error. The DOE adds that just a quarter-inch of scale buildup can cut water-heater efficiency by up to 40%. And the WQA’s detergent research, conducted with Battelle in 2010, showed you can use up to 50% less laundry detergent and up to 70% less dish soap on softened water versus hard.
You can run your own numbers on the calculator here, but the short version is this: Burbank’s water is hard, it’s consistently hard, and it’s harder than the national average by a wide margin. That’s not a knock on the city’s water quality, which meets all EPA health standards. It’s just the geological reality of importing desert river water across half a continent.
How does Burbank stack up against the rest of California? It's very hard at 16.6 GPG — Berkeley, Oxnard, and Hayward sit nearby with different numbers. See the full hardest-water ranking for context.
See where Burbank sits on the California water hardness map →
Want the broader explainer on what hardness actually is and how it behaves? Read hard water vs. soft water, explained.
What 16.6 GPG Actually Does to a Burbank Home
At 16.6 GPG (285 ppm), Burbank water is +127% harder than the US national average — and the damage shows up everywhere:
- Water heaters fail early. The Battelle Memorial Institute study found very-hard-water heaters failed in under 2 years, while softened-water units lasted the full 10-year test period. That's appliance life being burned through at 5× speed.
- Energy waste. Scale insulates the heating element, forcing the unit to work up to 13% harder — a direct, recurring cost on every bill.
- Constant descaling. Showerheads clog, faucet aerators crust over, and glassware never looks clean without a rinse aid.
- Up to 75% more detergent. Per the Water Quality Association, hard water sharply reduces soap effectiveness, and mineral residue roughs up fabric fibers, wearing clothes faster.
This isn't cosmetic. It's equipment and energy cost, quantified — at 16.6 GPG the running total is roughly $2,042 per year for an average 3–4 person home (see the calculator above — adjust the household size to see your number).
Do You Need a Water Softener in Burbank?
Yes — this is close to a non-negotiable. At 16.6 GPG, Burbank homeowners don't really debate whether to treat; they debate which system. The annual hard-water cost here is around $2,042, so a quality softener (~$1,000 installed) typically recovers its cost in well under a year.
Salt-free conditioners won't cut it at 16.6 GPG — they reduce scale but can't remove the minerals causing the soap, skin, and appliance problems. You need ion exchange. Size the unit to your household: a 48,000-grain softener handles a typical 3–4 person home at this hardness.
What Size Softener Does Burbank Need?
Sizing a softener is a two-number equation: your household's daily water use × your hardness. The rule of thumb is grains per day = (people) × (75 gallons) × (GPG).
- At 16.6 GPG, a family of four uses roughly 4,980 grains of hardness per day.
- A 48,000-grain softener regenerates roughly every 5–8 days — within the 3–7 day window that keeps salt and water use efficient.
- Round up, not down: an undersized unit regenerates too often and wastes salt. Metered (on-demand) regeneration saves the most salt and water.
For Burbank at 16.6 GPG, a 48,000-grain metered softener is the safe default for a 3–4 person home. A larger household, or one with unusually high water use, should size up to 64,000 grains.
What Are the Signs of Hard Water in a Burbank Home?
At 16.6 GPG (285 ppm), Burbank residents notice severe hard-water effects. The USGS classifies water above 7 GPG as hard and notes it causes measurable physical damage to plumbing and appliances.
- White or grey crust on faucet aerators, showerheads, and around drains — calcium carbonate depositing as water evaporates.
- Spotty glassware even after a full dishwasher cycle — mineral film left behind when water dries.
- Falling water-heater efficiency — scale insulates the heating element, forcing the unit to work harder and pushing up the energy bill.
- Flat, stiff hair — calcium bonds to hair proteins and prevents shampoo from rinsing clean.
- Dry, itchy skin — dissolved minerals disrupt the skin's moisture barrier.
- Weak soap lather — hardness ions react with soap to form insoluble scum instead of suds.
- Shorter appliance life — washing machines, dishwashers, and coffee makers accumulate internal scale.
The Battelle Memorial Institute study commissioned by the Water Quality Research Foundation found untreated very-hard-water heaters failed in under 2 years, versus a full 10 years on softened water. At Burbank's 16.6 GPG, that equipment degradation compounds faster than most homeowners expect.
Best Treatment for Burbank Homes
At 16.6 GPG you need serious capacity and real ion exchange. Two pieces of equipment cover most needs:
Aquasana SimplySoft 60,000-Grain Softener
For Burbank's 16.6 GPG — above the 10 GPG line where you want scale gone, not reduced. The 60,000-grain unit handles higher hardness and bigger households with less-frequent regeneration, which saves salt and water over time.
check current price
See on Aquasana →Aquasana SmartFlow Reverse Osmosis (drinking water)
The under-sink RO handles everything you drink. Removes lead, arsenic, fluoride, mercury, and PFOA/PFOS — then remineralizes for taste. The higher-purity companion to a whole-house softener or filter.
check current price
See on Aquasana →
A whole-house water softener pays for itself in roughly 6 months at Burbank's hardness level — after that, the savings accrue every year.
How Do You Test Water Hardness in Burbank?
This page reports Burbank's system-wide average (16.6 GPG), but your tap can vary slightly by neighborhood, pipe age, and in-home filtration. For a step-by-step, see how to test your water hardness at home — it walks through test strips, the free soap-shake check, TDS meters, titration kits, and certified lab tests.
- Test strips (~$10) give a GPG reading in about 30 seconds and are accurate enough to decide whether to invest in treatment.
- TDS meter (~$15) measures total dissolved solids, a rough hardness proxy — but it doesn't separate hardness from other minerals.
- Lab test — most water treatment companies in Burbank offer free in-home tests (expect a sales pitch); for an independent result, the EPA maintains a list of certified labs.
Note: the EPA doesn't regulate hardness (it's a nuisance, not a health hazard), but the EWG Tap Water Database tracks contaminants above health guidelines for Burbank's utility — see our Burbank water-quality report for what's actually been detected.
What about Burbank water quality?
Hardness is separate from safety. Burbank's water meets all EPA legal limits — 13 detected contaminants, none above the limit.
The ones people actually ask about:
Compare Burbank to Other California Cities
Other Very Hard Water Cities
Explore More
Frequently asked questions
Is Burbank water hard or soft?
Burbank, California water is very hard at 16.6 grains per gallon (285 ppm). That is considered hard enough to cause scale buildup and spotting.
How much does hard water cost the average Burbank household?
Based on the WQA-commissioned Battelle Memorial Institute study, hard water is estimated to cost the average affected household roughly $800/year in 2010 dollars (~$1,230 today after ~54% inflation) — an estimate, not a measured per-household figure. Scaled to Burbank's 16.6 GPG hardness, that works out to about $2,042/year (or ~$170.17/month) for a typical home — see the calculator on this page for the full breakdown.
Does Burbank need a water softener?
Yes — at 16.6 GPG, a whole-house water softener is the most effective way to prevent scale buildup, protect appliances, and reduce soap scum.
Why is Burbank's water hard?
Hardness comes from dissolved calcium and magnesium picked up as water passes through rock and soil before reaching Burbank's treatment plant.
How do I test my water hardness in Burbank?
Use a home test kit (test strips for a quick read, or a TDS meter for dissolved solids), or check your utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). For lab-accurate results, send a sample to a certified lab.
Who supplies Burbank's water?
Burbank's water comes from municipal supplies; contact your utility for its annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report).
What's the difference between grains per gallon and ppm?
1 GPG (grains per gallon) equals 17.1 ppm (mg/L). To convert: 16.6 GPG × 17.1 = ~285 ppm. Water is "hard" above roughly 7 GPG (120 ppm).
Sources & data
Hardness and water-quality data compiled from authoritative public sources.
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