What should I set my water softener to in Henderson?

The City of Henderson Department of Utility Services recommends a setting between 16 and 19 grains per gallon, or whatever your softener's manufacturer advises. Our calculator uses the city's figure of 18.

Where does Henderson's water come from?

All of it comes from the Colorado River by way of Lake Mead. The Southern Nevada Water Authority treats it and the City of Henderson delivers it.

Water softeners in Henderson, NV

Henderson runs its own water utility, and its annual water quality report gives its own hardness figure and a recommended softener setting.

How hard is Henderson water?

Figures published by City of Henderson Department of Utility Services. The dial setting is the number to enter on your softener.

City or area	How hard	Range (grains per gallon)	Softener dial setting	Source
Henderson	Extremely hard	about 18	18	City of Henderson Department of Utility Services, annual water quality report, 2026 (2025 data)

1. How many people live in your home?

Tested your water? Enter your result (optional)the number your kit shows, in grains per gallon

Your water is

Extremely hardAbout 210 lb of minerals flow into your home each year

Softener size to buy

32,000-grain

the size number on the box

Salt it will use

About 12

40 lb bags a year

Set the hardness dial to

recharges about every 7 days

What the dial setting means

This is the number to key into your softener's control head (the box on top of the tank) where it asks for water hardness, often shown as "Hardness" or "gpg". It is how the softener knows how much hardness it is taking out of each gallon.

When the resin inside is full of minerals, the softener recharges: it washes the resin with brine from the salt tank and sends the minerals down the drain. For your household that works out to about every 7 days, and it happens automatically.

Too low a number lets hard water through between recharges. Too high a number makes it recharge sooner than it needs to, using extra salt and water.

Henderson recommends setting softeners between 16 and 19 grains per gallon. Source: City of Henderson Department of Utility Services, annual water quality report, 2026 (2025 data).

Nobody pays to be listed or ranked here, and we don't make, sell, rent or install softeners or filters.

How this figure was measured

Who published it

Water authority

City of Henderson Department of Utility Services

About the authority

The City of Henderson department responsible for the city's water, wastewater and reclaimed water services. A public agency; no company supplied or paid for this figure.

Type of source

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)

Last checked

15 October 2026, against the original document

What the figure is

What was measured

Typical hardness, in parts per million and grains per gallon: 304 mg/L, published as 18 grains per gallon

Area covered

The whole Henderson water system

How it was sampled

One typical figure for the whole city water system, given both in the annual report and on the department's water quality page. The report describes the water as "very hard".

Utility’s own advice

Set softeners to 16 to 19 grains per gallon.

Where the water comes from

All of Henderson's water comes from the Colorado River: it starts as snow in the Colorado Rockies and flows through the Grand Canyon into Lake Mead. The Southern Nevada Water Authority treats it at the Alfred Merritt Smith or River Mountains water treatment facility, and the City of Henderson delivers it. The city's own Henderson treatment facility has been out of service since June 2022 because of low lake levels.

How we use it

Figure we use

The document’s own grains-per-gallon figure (18).

Unit conversion

1 grain per gallon = 17.1 milligrams per litre (mg/L), the same as parts per million (ppm)

How we calculate

Daily hardness to remove = people × 75 gallons × grains per gallon. We pick the smallest standard size that lasts about 7 days between recharges, at 3,300 grains removed per pound of salt.

Limits

This is the city's stated typical figure; the report does not list hardness in its main water quality table. Hardness varies a little through the year. A home test result is more exact and overrides this figure.

Henderson’s own figure

The City of Henderson Department of Utility Services gives a typical hardness of 304 parts per million, or 18 grains per gallon, in its annual water quality report covering 2025. That is a little harder than the figure the Las Vegas Valley Water District gives for most of the valley (280 parts per million, 16 grains per gallon), even though both draw mainly on Lake Mead.

Size and salt for a Henderson home

Use the calculator above with the number of people in your home. If you have tested your own water, enter the result and it replaces the city figure. The city suggests setting your softener between 16 and 19 grains per gallon; the dial setting above uses its figure of 18.

Questions about Henderson water

How hard is Henderson water?: The City of Henderson Department of Utility Services says its water is typically 304 parts per million, or 18 grains per gallon, and calls it "very hard". That figure is from its annual water quality report published in 2026, covering 2025.
What should I set my water softener to in Henderson?: The City of Henderson Department of Utility Services recommends a setting between 16 and 19 grains per gallon, or whatever your softener's manufacturer advises. Our calculator uses the city's figure of 18.
Where does Henderson's water come from?: All of it comes from the Colorado River by way of Lake Mead. The Southern Nevada Water Authority treats it and the City of Henderson delivers it.