How hard is the water in Ellsworth, ME?

Tap water hardness

74mg/L

4.3gpg

Moderately hard

Reported by Sherwood Forest MHP · May 2022

ME typical: 16 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016: 5
Softener for 3 people: 24k grain
Data: Utility report

The water in Ellsworth carries roughly 74 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.3 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Sherwood Forest MHP, dated May 2022.

Ellsworth on the hardness scale, with nearby cities

Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 74 mg/L, Ellsworth is 58 mg/L above the typical Maine figure of 16. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 6 mg/L in Brewer to 136 in Augusta.

What 74 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 Ellsworth

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.3 gpg = 979 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 24 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Ellsworth's water system

Ellsworth Water Department · PWSID ME0090520

5 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 3,910 people from surface water.

Health-based: 5
Monitoring or reporting: 7
Open now: 1

EPA lists Ellsworth Water Department as the system serving Ellsworth. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Ellsworth.

Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.

Contaminant or rule	Violations	Period	Status
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct	5	2023–2024	Resolved

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 Ellsworth water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 74 mg/L (4.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 74 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.3.

What size water softener do I need in Ellsworth?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.3 gpg works out to about 979 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 24 days.

Has the Ellsworth water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 5 health-based violations for Ellsworth Water Department since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 7 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, May 19, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.