Inglewood local water facts
- Utility
- City of Inglewood Water (part of the city is served by Golden State Water Company)
- Total hardness
- City of Inglewood, local well groundwater: 274 mg/L, about 16.0 grains per gallon (range 181 to 366 mg/L, 10.6 to 21.4 gpg).
- City of Inglewood, imported MWD surface water: 203 mg/L, about 11.9 grains per gallon (range 137 to 280 mg/L, 8.0 to 16.4 gpg).
- Golden State Water Company, Southwest System: 190 mg/L, about 11 grains per gallon (range 137 to 280 mg/L, 8.0 to 16 gpg).
- Water sources
- City of Inglewood: a blend of local deep-well groundwater and imported MWD water from the Colorado River and State Water Project. Golden State Water Southwest System: a blend of West Coast and Central Basin groundwater and imported MWD water.
- Source and year
- City of Inglewood 2025 Annual Water Quality Report, covering monitoring from 2024 and 2025, as the report states.
Imported Metropolitan Water District water changes from year to year. MWD's Jensen plant measured 270 mg/L of hardness in 2024 and 140 mg/L in 2025, so the figure shown here is from the most recent published year, not a permanent number.
Which utility serves my Inglewood address?
Most of the city is served by the City of Inglewood's own water system, which blends groundwater from local deep wells with water imported from the Metropolitan Water District. Part of Inglewood is served by Golden State Water Company's Southwest System instead. Your water bill names your utility.
The City of Inglewood reports its wells and its imported water separately and does not publish the blend that reaches a particular tap, so we do not pick one number for you. Both sources are hard. We test at your hose bib before we recommend or size anything.
What do people in older Inglewood homes notice?
Two things, and they have different causes. The first is hardness: crust on fixtures, spotting on glass, sediment in the water heater. At these numbers that is the water itself.
The second is discoloration, and in an older house it usually comes from the pipes. Homes old enough to have galvanized steel supply lines get rust-tinted water after the taps sit, low pressure that keeps getting worse, and sediment in faucet aerators. The city's report also shows its well water carries more natural color than the imported supply. A sediment pre-filter helps with particles, but if the pipe is the source, the lasting fix is repiping. We explain how to tell the difference in our post on older homes, galvanized pipe and rust.
The third is taste and smell. The city's report lists a chlorine and chloramine residual in the distribution system, and some people notice it.
Which system fits an older Inglewood house?
At 11 to 16 grains, a water softener is a reasonable first purchase for an Inglewood homeowner. It is the only option that removes the calcium and magnesium from the whole house, and it protects the water heater and fixtures that hard water wears out. Pair it with a sediment pre-filter in an older home so particles do not reach the softener.
Add carbon if taste and smell bother you, since a softener does nothing for the disinfectant. Add under-sink reverse osmosis for purified drinking water at the kitchen tap.
If the house has original galvanized pipe, we say so before you buy equipment. Putting a new system on a failing line treats the symptom and leaves the cause in the walls.
What does an install look like in an Inglewood home?
In most Inglewood houses the main line enters at the front, and in older homes the original shutoff valve is often worn or stuck. We replace it if it will not close properly, because a whole-home system needs a shutoff that works. The system then mounts on the main in the garage or outside on a pad with a cover.
A softener needs a drain and an outlet nearby, which decides the exact spot. Carbon and sediment filters need neither.
What can Inglewood renters do?
Most Inglewood households rent, and renters cannot put a system on the main line. A countertop RO unit or a faucet-mount filter treats drinking water with no plumbing changes and moves with you. An under-sink RO system is possible with your landlord's permission. Our condo and apartment guide walks through the options.
Water filtration questions from Inglewood
How hard is the water in Inglewood?
Inglewood water is hard, roughly 11 to 16 grains per gallon depending on the source. The City of Inglewood's 2025 report lists its wells at 274 mg/L and its imported water at 203 mg/L, and Golden State Water's Southwest System reports 190 mg/L for 2025.
Who provides water in Inglewood?
The City of Inglewood serves most of the city with a blend of local well water and imported MWD water. Golden State Water Company's Southwest System serves part of Inglewood. Your water bill names your utility.
Why is my Inglewood water rusty or brown?
Rusty water in an older Inglewood home usually comes from galvanized steel pipe inside the house, especially after the taps sit. A sediment filter catches particles, but if the pipe is corroding the lasting fix is repiping.
Do I need a water softener in Inglewood?
Many Inglewood homes benefit from one, because water at 11 to 16 grains per gallon scales up water heaters and fixtures. A softener is the only option that removes hardness from the whole house.
Is Inglewood tap water safe to drink?
Yes. The City of Inglewood's report says its tap water met all EPA and state drinking water health standards. Filtration and softening are about scale, taste and preference.
Does Pipe Dream Plumbing serve Inglewood?
Yes. Pipe Dream Plumbing Co. installs water softeners, carbon and sediment filtration and reverse osmosis in Inglewood. Call (310) 957-1763.
More on Westside water
- Water filtration in Westchester
- Water filtration in Culver City
- Water filtration in Venice
- Water filtration in Marina del Rey
See how Inglewood compares with the rest of the Westside in how hard the water is on the LA Westside, or learn how to read your water quality report.
Last updated .