How hard is the water in Biddeford, ME?

Tap water hardness
71mg/L
4.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Waterboro Water District · June 2022

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

Tap water in Biddeford has about 71 mg/L of hardness, which is 4.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Waterboro Water District, dated June 2022.

Biddeford on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+ME typical 16South Portland: 8 mg/LSouth Portland 8Portland: 8 mg/LPortland 8Gorham: 8 mg/LGorham 8Saco: 14 mg/LSaco 14Brunswick: 14 mg/LBrunswick 14Kittery: 21 mg/LKittery 21Topsham: 39 mg/LTopsham 39Sanford: 40 mg/LSanford 40Kennebunk: 59 mg/LKennebunk 59Yarmouth: 76 mg/LYarmouth 76Biddeford 71mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+ME 16South Portland: 8 mg/LSouth Port. 8Portland: 8 mg/LPortland 8Gorham: 8 mg/LGorham 8Saco: 14 mg/LSaco 14Sanford: 40 mg/LSanford 40Kennebunk: 59 mg/LKennebunk 5971 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Biddeford sits 55 mg/L above the typical Maine figure of 16. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 8 mg/L in South Portland to 76 in Yarmouth.

What 71 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 Biddeford

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.2 gpg = 934 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 25 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Biddeford's water system

Waterboro Water District · PWSID ME0092250

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 470 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
0

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 Biddeford water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 71 mg/L (4.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 71 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.2.

What size water softener do I need in Biddeford?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.2 gpg works out to about 934 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 25 days.

Has the Biddeford water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Waterboro Water District since 2016. There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 23 cities in Maine

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 9, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.