Water hardness in Maryland

Typical Maryland tap water
105mg/L
6.1gpg
Moderately hard

Population-weighted middle value across 41 Maryland cities in the dataset

People with hard or very hard water
44%
Hardest
Towson 216
Softest
Fort Meade 4

We have hardness numbers for 24 Maryland cities; 7 of them are county estimates rather than utility figures. Each city page adds the water system's EPA violation record and a softener size for a typical household.

Every Maryland city on the hardness scale
SoftModerately hardHardVery hard060120180240300360+Baltimore: 169 mg/LColumbia: 74 mg/LFrederick: 105 mg/LWaldorf: 31 mg/LEllicott City: 82 mg/LBowie: 78 mg/LBel Air South: 81 mg/LTowson: 216 mg/LOdenton: 77 mg/LHagerstown: 126 mg/LSeverna Park: 35 mg/LSalisbury: 32 mg/LCrofton: 77 mg/LWestminster: 62 mg/LEaston: 24 mg/LTakoma Park: 110 mg/LUrbana: 132 mg/LBel Air: 81 mg/LFort Meade: 4 mg/LMount Airy: 131 mg/LBrunswick: 84 mg/LFairwood: 78 mg/LChesapeake Beach: 130 mg/LPoolesville: 84 mg/LBaltimoreColumbiaFrederickWaldorfTowsonSoftMod.HardVery hard060120180240300360+Baltimore: 169 mg/LColumbia: 74 mg/LFrederick: 105 mg/LWaldorf: 31 mg/LEllicott City: 82 mg/LBowie: 78 mg/LBel Air South: 81 mg/LTowson: 216 mg/LOdenton: 77 mg/LHagerstown: 126 mg/LSeverna Park: 35 mg/LSalisbury: 32 mg/LCrofton: 77 mg/LWestminster: 62 mg/LEaston: 24 mg/LTakoma Park: 110 mg/LUrbana: 132 mg/LBel Air: 81 mg/LFort Meade: 4 mg/LMount Airy: 131 mg/LBrunswick: 84 mg/LFairwood: 78 mg/LChesapeake Beach: 130 mg/LPoolesville: 84 mg/LBaltimoreColumbia

Dot size follows population. Tap a dot for the city page.

5Soft
13Moderately hard
5Hard
1Very hard

Hardest water in Maryland

  1. Towson216
  2. Baltimore169
  3. Urbana132
  4. Mount Airy131
  5. Chesapeake Beach130
  6. Hagerstown126
  7. Takoma Park110
  8. Frederick105

Softest water in Maryland

  1. Fort Meade4
  2. Easton24
  3. Waldorf31
  4. Salisbury32
  5. Severna Park35
  6. Westminster62
  7. Columbia74
  8. Crofton77

All cities in Maryland

Citymg/LgpgClassDataEPA health violations
Baltimore1699.9HardCounty estimate4
Columbia744.3Moderately hardUtility report0
Frederick1056.1Moderately hardUtility report0
Waldorf311.8SoftCounty estimate–
Ellicott City824.8Moderately hardUtility report0
Bowie784.6Moderately hardUtility report1
Bel Air South814.7Moderately hardUtility report0
Towson21612.6Very hardCounty estimate–
Odenton774.5Moderately hardCounty estimate–
Hagerstown1267.4HardCounty estimate0
Severna Park352.0SoftUtility report0
Salisbury321.9SoftUtility report0
Crofton774.5Moderately hardCounty estimate–
Westminster623.6Moderately hardCounty estimate4
Easton241.4SoftUtility report0
Takoma Park1106.4Moderately hardUtility report0
Urbana1327.7HardUtility report0
Bel Air814.7Moderately hardUtility report0
Fort Meade40.2SoftUtility report0
Mount Airy1317.7HardUtility report0
Brunswick844.9Moderately hardUtility report0
Fairwood784.6Moderately hardUtility report1
Chesapeake Beach1307.6HardUtility report0
Poolesville844.9Moderately hardUtility report0

Questions

Is Maryland water hard?

The typical Maryland resident gets about 105 mg/L (6.1 gpg), which is moderately hard. About 44% of people in the cities we track have hard or very hard water.

Which city in Maryland has the hardest water?

Among 24 cities with pages here, Towson is highest at 216 mg/L.

Which city in Maryland has the softest water?

Fort Meade, at 4 mg/L.

Other states

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness, CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.