The City of Tustin blends local groundwater with imported Metropolitan Water District water, and its report lists three averages: Tustin groundwater 392 mg/L, East Orange County Water District groundwater 327 mg/L and imported water 270 mg/L, with samples from 133 to 700 mg/L. The report does not print the split. Irvine Ranch Water District says it serves parts of Tustin, with its own sources at 12.5 to 17.1 gpg, so the city's figure does not apply to every Tustin address, and which sewer agency serves an address decides what equipment rules apply.
Three sources, three numbers
The City of Tustin's water is a blend of local groundwater wells and imported water. The report lists a separate average for each of three sources: Tustin's own groundwater at 392 mg/L, East Orange County Water District groundwater at 327 mg/L, and imported Metropolitan Water District water at 270 mg/L. That works out to 16 to 23 gpg. The report does not say how much of each reaches a given home, and its hardness samples run from 133 to 700 mg/L, so a reading at your tap can sit far from any of the three averages. The scale behind the "very hard" label is on the hard water by city page.
If your bill says Irvine Ranch Water District
Part of Tustin is not on the city's water at all. Irvine Ranch Water District says it serves parts of Tustin, and its own report puts its sources at 12.5 to 17.1 gpg, the same figures we show on the Irvine page. Next door, Santa Ana reads lower than Tustin's city water, with its groundwater at 239 mg/L.
Tustin and water-conditioning rules
In Tustin, the rule that counts comes from the agency that handles your sewage, and the city name does not tell you which one that is. Irvine Ranch Water District recycles its wastewater for irrigation, and its water-quality page says it discourages equipment that sends salty rinse water down the drain, because recycling does not remove the salt. Its pages describe that position in firmer and softer terms. We do not know which sewer agency serves your address, so we treat every Tustin address as restricted and start with systems that send no salt down the drain.
What we lead with in Tustin
At these numbers it helps to be plain about what each option does.
- Reverse osmosis drinking water is the one option here that holds back dissolved minerals, at the one tap you drink and cook from.
- Nuvia Scale Shield is designed to reduce and inhibit scale from calcium and magnesium in plumbing, appliances and fixtures. The minerals stay in the water. The scale is what changes.
- Nuvia Sentry is a three-stage whole-house system with a carbon block filter for chlorine taste and odor and a scale-inhibiting media, with no salt or chemical additives.
- Nuvia Advantage is a five-stage whole-home filtration system with carbon filtration, without salt or added chemicals.
For how salt-free whole-house systems work, see salt-free water conditioners.
Start from your own tap
With three sources and a 133 to 700 mg/L spread, your own tap is the number that matters. The free water analysis gives it to you.
Sources
Questions people ask
How hard is the water in Tustin?
The city's report lists three source averages: Tustin groundwater at 392 mg/L, East Orange County Water District groundwater at 327 mg/L and imported Metropolitan Water District water at 270 mg/L. That is 23 gpg for Tustin groundwater and 16 gpg for imported water. Samples across the report run from 133 to 700 mg/L.
Why is the range so wide?
The city blends local groundwater from two producers with imported water, and the report gives each source its own average. The sample range of 133 to 700 mg/L shows how far a single reading can sit from any of them.
Is all of Tustin on the City of Tustin's water?
No. Irvine Ranch Water District says it serves parts of Tustin. If your bill comes from Irvine Ranch Water District, read its report instead: its sources run from 12.5 to 17.1 gpg.
Why does this page not talk about every kind of home water system?
Because of the sewer. Part of Tustin sits in a district that recycles its wastewater and asks customers to avoid equipment that sends salty rinse water down the drain. We do not know which sewer agency serves your address, so we start with systems that send no salt down the drain.
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