Brewing Information
Whether you are brewing beer or brewing coffee, the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority realizes that water quality can impact quality of your brew. Below are commonly requested water quality parameters that can impact the characteristics and flavor profiles of your brew. For more information about water quality, click here.
The typical ranges for these water quality parameters for CCMWA water are as follows:
| Parameter | Average Results | Units |
| Calcium | 20-36 | mg/L as CaCO3 (ppm) |
| Magnesium | 6-9 | mg/L as CaCO3 (ppm) |
| Total Hardness | 28-44 | mg/L as CaCO3 (ppm) |
| Sulfate | 11.1-22.1 | mg/L (ppm) |
| Chloride | 6.8-17 | mg/L (ppm) |
| Sodium | 4.2-10 | mg/L (ppm) |
| Nitrate/Nitrite | 0.27-1.4 | mg/L as N |
| Alkalinity | 20-30 | mg/L as CaCO3 (ppm) |
| pH | 7.6-8.2 | SU (Standard Units) |
Bicarbonate (HCO3-), and carbonate (CO32-), and occasionally hydroxide (OH-), borates, silicates, phosphates, ammonium, sulfides, and organic ligands make up alkalinity. We do not measure for bicarbonates (HCO3-) and carbonates (CO3--) by themselves but they represent the major form of alkalinity with bicarbonate being mostly present with a pH below 8.3.
The carbonate fraction of hardness (expressed as CaCO3 equivalents) is chemically equivalent to the bicarbonates of alkalinity present in water. Any hardness that is greater than the alkalinity represents non-carbonate hardness. Non-carbonate hardness is the portion of total hardness in water that is not produced by carbonates, but by calcium and magnesium salts.
Total Hardness = Calcium Hardness + Magnesium Hardness + Other
(mg/L as CaCO3) (mg/L as CaCO3) (mg/L as CaCO3)
The other elements strontium, aluminum, barium, iron, manganese, and zinc also cause hardness in water, but they are not usually present in large enough concentrations to contribute significantly to total hardness.
Total Hardness = Calcium Hardness + Non-carbonate hardness
(mg/L as CaCO3) (mg/L as CaCO3) (mg/L as CaCO3)