Middletown, DE water hardness

Tap water hardness
52mg/L
3.0gpg
Soft

Reported by East NCC District · March 2021

DE typical
87 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

The water in Middletown carries roughly 52 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.0 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from East NCC District, dated March 2021.

Middletown on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+DE typical 87Smyrna: 31 mg/LSmyrna 31Brookside: 87 mg/LBrookside 87New Castle: 87 mg/LNew Castle 87Wilmington Manor: 87 mg/LWilmington Manor 87Pike Creek Valley: 87 mg/LPike Creek Valley 87Pike Creek: 87 mg/LPike Creek 87North Star: 87 mg/LNorth Star 87Glasgow: 90 mg/LGlasgow 90Bear: 94 mg/LBear 94Newark: 94 mg/LNewark 94Middletown 52mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+DE 87Smyrna: 31 mg/LSmyrna 31Brookside: 87 mg/LBrookside 87New Castle: 87 mg/LNew Castle 87Glasgow: 90 mg/LGlasgow 90Bear: 94 mg/LBear 94Newark: 94 mg/LNewark 9452 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Middletown sits 35 mg/L below the typical Delaware figure of 87. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 31 mg/L in Smyrna to 94 in Bear.

What 52 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 52 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Middletown's water system

Middletown Water Department · PWSID DE0000614

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 17,700 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Middletown.

Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.

Questions

Is Middletown water hard?

No. It measures about 52 mg/L (3.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Middletown in grains per gallon?

About 3.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 52 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.0.

Has the Middletown water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Middletown Water Department since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 17 cities in Delaware

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 15, 2021), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.