How hard is the water in Takoma Park, MD?

Tap water hardness
110mg/L
6.4gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission · October 2025

MD typical
105 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Takoma Park has about 110 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.4 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, dated October 2025.

Takoma Park 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 77Fairwood: 78 mg/LFairwood 78Bowie: 78 mg/LBowie 78Ellicott City: 82 mg/LEllicott City 82Poolesville: 84 mg/LPoolesville 84Takoma Park 110mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MD 105Fort Meade: 4 mg/LFort Meade 4Columbia: 74 mg/LColumbia 74Crofton: 77 mg/LCrofton 77Odenton: 77 mg/LOdenton 77Fairwood: 78 mg/LFairwood 78Bowie: 78 mg/LBowie 78110 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 110 mg/L, Takoma Park is close to the typical Maryland figure of 105 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 4 mg/L in Fort Meade to 84 in Poolesville.

What 110 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 Takoma Park

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.4 gpg = 1,449 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Takoma Park's water system

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission · PWSID MD0150005

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 1,900,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

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

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 Takoma Park water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 110 mg/L (6.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Takoma Park in grains per gallon?

About 6.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 110 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.4.

What size water softener do I need in Takoma Park?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.4 gpg works out to about 1,449 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Takoma Park water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 24 cities in Maryland

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 10, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.