Kennebunk, ME water hardness

Tap water hardness
59mg/L
3.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells WD · January 2024

ME typical
16 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Kennebunk has about 59 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells WD, dated January 2024.

Kennebunk on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+ME typical 16South Portland: 8 mg/LSouth Portland 8Gorham: 8 mg/LGorham 8Portland: 8 mg/LPortland 8Saco: 14 mg/LSaco 14Brunswick: 14 mg/LBrunswick 14Kittery: 21 mg/LKittery 21Topsham: 39 mg/LTopsham 39Sanford: 40 mg/LSanford 40Biddeford: 71 mg/LBiddeford 71Yarmouth: 76 mg/LYarmouth 76Kennebunk 59mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+ME 16South Portland: 8 mg/LSouth Port. 8Gorham: 8 mg/LGorham 8Saco: 14 mg/LSaco 14Kittery: 21 mg/LKittery 21Sanford: 40 mg/LSanford 40Biddeford: 71 mg/LBiddeford 7159 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Kennebunk sits 43 mg/L above the typical Maine figure of 16. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 8 mg/L in South Portland to 76 in Yarmouth.

What 59 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 59 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 Kennebunk's water system

Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells WD · PWSID ME0090760

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 35,663 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
8
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 Kennebunk water hard?

No. It measures about 59 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 59 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.5.

Has the Kennebunk water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells WD since 2016. There were also 8 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, January 9, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.