How hard is the water in Abington, MA?

Tap water hardness
67mg/L
3.9gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Abington/Rockland Joint WTR. Works · March 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Abington water measures 67 mg/L (3.9 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Abington/Rockland Joint WTR. Works, dated March 2025.

Abington on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Weymouth: 28 mg/LWeymouth 28Quincy: 38 mg/LQuincy 38Milton: 44 mg/LMilton 44Sharon: 47 mg/LSharon 47Brockton: 49 mg/LBrockton 49Braintree: 55 mg/LBraintree 55Bridgewater: 62 mg/LBridgewater 62Randolph: 68 mg/LRandolph 68Holbrook: 74 mg/LHolbrook 74Hingham: 123 mg/LHingham 123Abington 67mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Weymouth: 28 mg/LWeymouth 28Brockton: 49 mg/LBrockton 49Braintree: 55 mg/LBraintree 55Randolph: 68 mg/LRandolph 68Holbrook: 74 mg/LHolbrook 74Hingham: 123 mg/LHingham 12367 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Abington sits 29 mg/L above the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 28 mg/L in Weymouth to 123 in Hingham.

What 67 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 Abington

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.9 gpg = 882 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 27 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Abington's water system

Abington/Rockland Joint WTR. Works · PWSID MA4001000

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 33,387 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total Coliform RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total Coliform RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total Coliform Rulebacteria12025Resolved
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct12018Resolved

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 Abington water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 67 mg/L (3.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 67 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.9.

What size water softener do I need in Abington?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.9 gpg works out to about 882 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 27 days.

Has the Abington water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Abington/Rockland Joint WTR. Works since 2016, involving Total Coliform Rule, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 26, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.