Orono, ME water hardness

Tap water hardness
44mg/L
2.6gpg
Soft

Reported by Orono-Veazie Water District · June 2022

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

The water in Orono carries roughly 44 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.6 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Orono-Veazie Water District, dated June 2022.

Orono on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+ME typical 16Bangor: 6 mg/LBangor 6Brewer: 6 mg/LBrewer 6Bath: 9 mg/LBath 9Winslow: 28 mg/LWinslow 28Topsham: 39 mg/LTopsham 39Old: 68 mg/LOld 68Ellsworth: 74 mg/LEllsworth 74Gardiner: 96 mg/LGardiner 96Waterville: 102 mg/LWaterville 102Augusta: 136 mg/LAugusta 136Orono 44mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+ME 16Bangor: 6 mg/LBangor 6Brewer: 6 mg/LBrewer 6Winslow: 28 mg/LWinslow 28Old: 68 mg/LOld 68Ellsworth: 74 mg/LEllsworth 74Waterville: 102 mg/LWaterville 10244 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Orono sits 28 mg/L above the typical Maine figure of 16. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 6 mg/L in Bangor to 136 in Augusta.

What 44 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 44 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 Orono's water system

Orono-Veazie Water District · PWSID ME0091210

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 5,793 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 Orono water hard?

No. It measures about 44 mg/L (2.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 44 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.6.

Has the Orono water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Orono-Veazie 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 21, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.