Prichard Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Prichard, Alabama, in Mobile County just north of Mobile — a predominantly African-American city in the Mobile metropolitan area with a historically significant civil rights history and ongoing municipal revitalization efforts — receives its municipal water from the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS), which draws from Big Creek Lake reservoir in the upper Mobile Bay watershed. MAWSS serves the greater Mobile metropolitan area including Prichard through its regional distribution system.

The moderately soft 86.5 mg/L hardness and TDS of 165.7 mg/L reflect the relatively soft character of the coastal Alabama Gulf Coastal Plain watershed. Big Creek Lake and its drainage basin sit on the Gulf Coastal Plain terrain of southwest Alabama — overlying the Cretaceous Selma Chalk and Mooreville Chalk formations (marine chalk and marl) and the Paleocene-Eocene Midway and Wilcox Group sandy and clayey coastal formations. While the Selma Chalk would typically produce hard water in direct contact, the Big Creek watershed primarily drains younger, less-carbonate Paleocene-Eocene sandy and clayey Coastal Plain formations and the mature Alabama Gulf Coast forested uplands. The abundant rainfall of southwest Alabama (60+ inches/year) and heavy forest cover sustain a dilute, soft source water at Big Creek Lake.

At 86.5 mg/L, Prichard's water is moderately soft — excellent for household use. Scale forms slowly over many months in kettles and appliances, soap lathers well, and the dishwasher produces clean results. Semi-annual to annual descaling of heating appliances is adequate. The PFAS level of 5.0 ppt warrants a certified drinking water filter — Brookley Field (former Mobile Army Air Depot, now Alabama Port Authority complex) and the Mobile industrial waterfront complex along the Mobile River contribute to the Mobile Bay metropolitan PFAS background.