Saco, ME water hardness

Tap water hardness
14mg/L
0.8gpg
Soft

Reported by Maine Water Company Biddeford Saco Div · August 2025

ME typical
16 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Saco has about 14 mg/L of hardness, which is 0.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Maine Water Company Biddeford Saco Div, dated August 2025.

Saco on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+ME typical 16South Portland: 8 mg/LSouth Portland 8Gorham: 8 mg/LGorham 8Portland: 8 mg/LPortland 8Brunswick: 14 mg/LBrunswick 14Kittery: 21 mg/LKittery 21Topsham: 39 mg/LTopsham 39Sanford: 40 mg/LSanford 40Kennebunk: 59 mg/LKennebunk 59Biddeford: 71 mg/LBiddeford 71Yarmouth: 76 mg/LYarmouth 76Saco 14mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+ME 16South Portland: 8 mg/LSouth Port. 8Gorham: 8 mg/LGorham 8Portland: 8 mg/LPortland 8Sanford: 40 mg/LSanford 40Kennebunk: 59 mg/LKennebunk 59Biddeford: 71 mg/LBiddeford 7114 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Saco sits close to the typical Maine figure of 16 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 8 mg/L in South Portland to 76 in Yarmouth.

What 14 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 14 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 Saco's water system

Maine Water Company Biddeford Saco Div · PWSID ME0090170

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 42,508 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection12021Resolved

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 Saco water hard?

No. It measures about 14 mg/L (0.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 0.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 14 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.8.

Has the Saco water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Maine Water Company Biddeford Saco Div since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule.

Nearby cities

All 23 cities in Maine

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 4, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.