Utility-reported hardness
Unavailable
Ask your provider or test your tap
Local water dashboard
Official source aggregationWater quality in Cottonwood, AL 36320
Regional hardness evidence, possible serving systems, EPA compliance history, and the measurements that are—and are not—available for Houston County.
1 active health-based record(s) across possible systems
- Largest possible serving system
- Cottonwood Water Works
- Source water
- Groundwater
- County
- Houston County
- Profile updated
Your tap water
What does the utility report?
Match the utility name to your water bill. These results describe the utility’s water, not a test at your home. A ZIP can include several water systems.
Utility hardness unavailable in this index
Nearby river or groundwater samples cannot tell us the hardness coming out of your tap. Ask your water provider for total hardness as CaCO₃, or test it at home.
Find an official utility report →At a glance
What the current records say
EPA quarter 2026Q2
All possible systems
Review needed
1 active health-based record
Measurements by utility
Each result belongs to a specific system.
Utility match
1 system
Serves 3,570 people system-wide
Match the name on your water bill
Your utility’s measurements and compliance records
These are possible serving systems. A record for one system does not apply to every home in this ZIP. Confirm your provider before interpreting a measurement or notice. Federal records can lag current utility notices.
EPA snapshot: 2026Q2. Historical window begins Jan 1, 2021.
Cottonwood Water Works
AL0000677 · Groundwater · 3,570 people served system-wide
The system names this served city; Census place overlap links the city to this ZCTA.
1 reported active health-based record(s) for this system
Find this utility’s official report →Measurements (1)
An action level is a regulatory trigger, not a pass/fail health boundary. A reported zero is the value in the source record and does not establish that lead is absent at your tap.
Lead (90th percentile)
EPA SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule samples
- Reported level
- 0.0017 mg/L
- Action level
- 0.015 mg/L
11% of the listed benchmark
Monitoring period: Jan 1, 2021 to Dec 31, 2023
Violation history (34)
| Rule | Status | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Public Notice | Unaddressed | Dec 7, 2024 |
| LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONS | Resolved | Oct 17, 2024 to Aug 21, 2025 |
| LEAD AND COPPER RULE REVISIONSHealth-based | Unaddressed | Oct 17, 2024 |
| Toxaphene | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Glyphosate | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Dinoseb | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Total Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| 1,2-DIBROMO-3-CHLOROPROPANE | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Chlordane | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| LASSO | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Heptachlor | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Methoxychlor | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Atrazine | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| HEXACHLOROBENZENE | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Heptachlor epoxide | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Carbofuran | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Diquat | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Pentachlorophenol | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Hexachlorocyclopentadiene | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Dalapon | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| 2,4,5-TP | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| 2,4-D | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Endothall | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Simazine | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| BHC-GAMMA | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Endrin | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Picloram | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| OXAMYL | Archived | Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2025 |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | Resolved | Apr 11, 2022 to Apr 11, 2022 |
| Revised Total Coliform Rule | Resolved | Jun 1, 2021 to Jun 30, 2021 |
Hardness meter
What does nearby environmental evidence show?
170.5
PPM as CaCO₃
Hard
PPM
170.5
GPG
10
Regional environmental evidence
USGS hardness classification scale
170.5 PPM
Soft
0–60Moderate
61–120Hard
121–180Very hard
181+
0–60Moderate
61–120Hard
121–180Very hard
181+
Parts per million
170.5
mg/L as CaCO₃ equivalent
Grains per gallon
10
1 GPG ≈ 17.1 PPM
How to use regional evidence
These samples describe nearby environmental water. They cannot establish whether your tap water is soft or hard. Use a utility result or a tap test for appliance settings and treatment sizing.
USGS sites used
4
Nearest site
9.7 mi
Observation range
Sep 11, 2023–Sep 24, 2025
Regional evidence confidence
Moderate
Median of the latest source-type-aligned hardness observation at each monitoring site within 25 miles. Nearest monitoring location: Well Q 12 310752085271301 Houston Cnty AL (Well).USGS source documentation ↗Evidence tier: Regional environmental evidence. This value is not used as proof of the serving utility's treated-water hardness.
Regional context
Is 36320 typical?
These comparisons use other indexed ZIP estimates, not utility tap samples. They help show local context without replacing a household test.
Cottonwood median
171 PPM
About the same1 indexed ZIP readings · Range 170.5–170.5 PPM
Alabama median
83 PPM
88 PPM higher104 indexed ZIP readings · Range 3–2720 PPM
Evidence-first next steps
Confirm the problem before choosing treatment
This profile can help you ask the right question. It cannot select equipment for a property without a current result from the serving utility or the tap.
Confirm the serving system
ZIP boundaries and utility service areas do not perfectly match. Verify the system on a water bill before relying on system-wide records.
Read the current utility report
An active health-based record is present. Follow the utility's current notice and public-health instructions.
Find an official utility report →Test for the decision you face
Use a tap hardness test before sizing a softener. For health concerns, use a certified laboratory and the correct sampling protocol.
Convert your hardness test result →Frequently asked
Water questions for Cottonwood
Is tap water safe in Cottonwood?+
EPA ECHO reports 1 active health-based violation among the associated community water systems. Review the affected utility's current notice and Consumer Confidence Report.
How hard is the water?+
Utility-reported hardness is unavailable in this index. Regional samples do not establish tap-water hardness. Ask your provider or test your tap.
Do I need a water softener?+
Confirm hardness at your tap and consider actual scale or spotting before choosing treatment. Regional environmental values cannot determine whether you need a softener. A softener addresses hardness, not every contaminant.