Where our Las Vegas water figures come from
We only use hardness figures a public water utility has published for its own customers. Below is each utility, linked to its website, with the kind of data it publishes and how we turn hardness into a softener size.
Turning hardness into a softener size
Multiply the number of people in the home by 75 gallons a day, then by the hardness in grains per gallon: that is the hardness the softener has to remove each day. We choose the smallest standard size (24,000 to 80,000 grains) that goes about a week between recharges, and estimate salt at 3,300 grains removed per pound. The dial setting is the hardness, rounded up.
Parts per million or grains per gallon?
Las Vegas Valley utilities give hardness in parts per million (ppm), and some add a grains-per-gallon figure. When they do, we use their figure. Otherwise we divide ppm by 17.1, because softener dials ask for grains per gallon. In drinking water, ppm and milligrams per litre are the same thing.
Areas without a published figure
The City of North Las Vegas describes its water as hard but doesn’t publish a hardness number, so we don’t show one; its page explains how to test instead. Searchlight’s figure depends on which of its three wells is running, so we list each well separately rather than averaging them.
Where the figures are used
Every area’s figure feeds its own area page, the softener settings by area and the household size cards, so a change in the data updates them all.
Las Vegas Valley water utilities and their figures
| Water authority | Type of source | Areas | Hardness range | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Valley Water District The public water district that serves most of the Las Vegas Valley. | Water quality summary: a table of measured minerals that the utility publishes alongside its annual water quality report, which every U.S. community water system must publish under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Data year: 2026 (2025 data). | Most of the Las Vegas Valley (one figure for the whole service area) | about 16 grains per gallon | 15 October 2026 |
| City of Henderson Department of Utility Services The City of Henderson department responsible for the city's water, wastewater and reclaimed water services. | Annual water quality report. Every community water system in the U.S. must publish one each year under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, so it is the utility’s own official record of what is in its water. Data year: 2026 (2025 data). | Henderson | about 18 grains per gallon | 15 October 2026 |
| City of Boulder City (Water and Sewer) The Boulder City public water system, which buys treated Lake Mead water from the Southern Nevada Water Authority. | Annual water quality report. Every community water system in the U.S. must publish one each year under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, so it is the utility’s own official record of what is in its water. Data year: 2026 (2025 data). | Boulder City | about 17 grains per gallon | 16 October 2026 |
| Kyle Canyon Water District A public water district in Kyle Canyon on Mount Charleston, operated and maintained by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. | Water quality summary: a table of measured minerals that the utility publishes alongside its annual water quality report, which every U.S. community water system must publish under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Data year: 2026 (2025 data). | Areas served by the Echo Wells (Old Town, Cathedral Rock, Echo View); Area served by the Rainbow Well (mainly Rainbow View) | 14 to 16 grains per gallon | 16 October 2026 |
| Big Bend Water District The public water district that supplies Laughlin, operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. | Water quality summary: a table of measured minerals that the utility publishes alongside its annual water quality report, which every U.S. community water system must publish under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Data year: 2026 (2025 data). | Laughlin | about 17 grains per gallon | 16 October 2026 |
| Blue Diamond Water System (Las Vegas Valley Water District) The small water system that supplies Blue Diamond, owned and operated by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. | Water quality summary: a table of measured minerals that the utility publishes alongside its annual water quality report, which every U.S. community water system must publish under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Data year: 2026 (2025 data). | Blue Diamond, from the North Well summary; Blue Diamond, from the South Well summary | 23 to 24 grains per gallon | 16 October 2026 |
| Searchlight Water System (Las Vegas Valley Water District) The water system serving Searchlight, owned, operated and maintained by the Las Vegas Valley Water District. | Water quality summary: a table of measured minerals that the utility publishes alongside its annual water quality report, which every U.S. community water system must publish under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Data year: 2026 (2025 data). | When supplied by Well S-2 (a primary well); When supplied by Well S-3 (a primary well); When supplied by backup Well S-1 (maintenance or emergencies only) | 3 to 23 grains per gallon | 16 October 2026 |
| Virgin Valley Water District The public water district that supplies Mesquite and Bunkerville. | Annual water quality report. Every community water system in the U.S. must publish one each year under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, so it is the utility’s own official record of what is in its water. Data year: 2025 (2025 data). | Mesquite | 10.5 to 15.8 grains per gallon | 16 October 2026 |
No company supplies or pays for these figures.