How hard is the water in Waterville, ME?

Tap water hardness
102mg/L
6.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Timberline Village · 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 Waterville has about 102 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Timberline Village, dated June 2022.

Waterville on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+ME typical 16Bangor: 6 mg/LBangor 6Brewer: 6 mg/LBrewer 6Bath: 9 mg/LBath 9Brunswick: 14 mg/LBrunswick 14Lewiston: 16 mg/LLewiston 16Winslow: 28 mg/LWinslow 28Topsham: 39 mg/LTopsham 39Auburn: 89 mg/LAuburn 89Gardiner: 96 mg/LGardiner 96Augusta: 136 mg/LAugusta 136Waterville 102mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+ME 16Bath: 9 mg/LBath 9Lewiston: 16 mg/LLewiston 16Winslow: 28 mg/LWinslow 28Auburn: 89 mg/LAuburn 89Gardiner: 96 mg/LGardiner 96Augusta: 136 mg/LAugusta 136102 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 102 mg/L, Waterville is 86 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 6 mg/L in Bangor to 136 in Augusta.

What 102 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 Waterville

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,341 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Waterville's water system

Timberline Village · PWSID ME0095610

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 95 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
34
Open now
1

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 Waterville water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 102 mg/L (6.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 102 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.0.

What size water softener do I need in Waterville?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.0 gpg works out to about 1,341 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Waterville water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Timberline Village since 2016. There were also 34 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 30, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.