How hard is the water in New Castle, DE?

Tap water hardness
87mg/L
5.1gpg
Moderately hardReports range 87–108

Reported by Artesian Water Company · September 2025

DE typical
87 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in New Castle has about 87 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.1 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Artesian Water Company, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 87 to 108 mg/L.

New Castle on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+DE typical 87Wilmington Manor: 87 mg/LWilmington Manor 87Wilmington: 87 mg/LWilmington 87Elsmere: 87 mg/LElsmere 87Edgemoor: 87 mg/LEdgemoor 87Brookside: 87 mg/LBrookside 87Pike Creek Valley: 87 mg/LPike Creek Valley 87Pike Creek: 87 mg/LPike Creek 87Hockessin: 87 mg/LHockessin 87Bear: 94 mg/LBear 94Newark: 94 mg/LNewark 94New Castle 87mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+DE 87Wilmington Manor: 87 mg/LWilmington. 87Wilmington: 87 mg/LWilmington 87Elsmere: 87 mg/LElsmere 87Edgemoor: 87 mg/LEdgemoor 87Brookside: 87 mg/LBrookside 87Bear: 94 mg/LBear 9487 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 87 mg/L, New Castle is close to the typical Delaware figure of 87 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 87 mg/L in Wilmington Manor to 94 in Bear.

What 87 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

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

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for New Castle

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.1 gpg = 1,150 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for New Castle's water system

Veolia Water Delaware, Inc · PWSID DE0000564

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 100,495 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists Veolia Water Delaware, Inc as the system serving New Castle. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for New Castle.

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 New Castle water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 87 mg/L (5.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in New Castle in grains per gallon?

About 5.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 87 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.1.

What size water softener do I need in New Castle?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.1 gpg works out to about 1,150 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the New Castle water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Veolia Water Delaware, Inc since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 17 cities in Delaware

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 23, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.