How hard is the water in Fairwood, MD?

Tap water hardness
78mg/L
4.6gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by City of Bowie · November 2024

MD typical
105 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Fairwood water measures 78 mg/L (4.6 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from City of Bowie, dated November 2024.

Fairwood on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MD typical 105Fort Meade: 4 mg/LFort Meade 4Waldorf: 31 mg/LWaldorf 31Severna Park: 35 mg/LSeverna Park 35Columbia: 74 mg/LColumbia 74Crofton: 77 mg/LCrofton 77Odenton: 77 mg/LOdenton 77Bowie: 78 mg/LBowie 78Ellicott City: 82 mg/LEllicott City 82Takoma Park: 110 mg/LTakoma Park 110Chesapeake Beach: 130 mg/LChesapeake Beach 130Fairwood 78mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MD 105Fort Meade: 4 mg/LFort Meade 4Severna Park: 35 mg/LSeverna Pa. 35Crofton: 77 mg/LCrofton 77Odenton: 77 mg/LOdenton 77Bowie: 78 mg/LBowie 78Takoma Park: 110 mg/LTakoma Park 11078 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Fairwood sits 27 mg/L below the typical Maryland figure of 105. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 4 mg/L in Fort Meade to 130 in Chesapeake Beach.

What 78 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 Fairwood

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.6 gpg = 1,028 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 23 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Fairwood's water system

City of Bowie · PWSID MD0160002

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 25,000 people from groundwater.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Fairwood to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Fairwood, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling12024Resolved

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 Fairwood water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 78 mg/L (4.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 78 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.6.

What size water softener do I need in Fairwood?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.6 gpg works out to about 1,028 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 23 days.

Has the Fairwood water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for City of Bowie since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 24 cities in Maryland

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, November 30, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.