Agawam, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
60mg/L
3.5gpg
SoftReports range 60–108

Reported by West Springfield DPW Water Division · December 2024

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
14
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Agawam has about 60 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from West Springfield DPW Water Division, dated December 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 60 to 108 mg/L.

Agawam on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Southbridge: 7 mg/LSouthbridge 7Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Amherst: 30 mg/LAmherst 30Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Palmer: 45 mg/LPalmer 45Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55Westfield: 88 mg/LWestfield 88West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Springfield 107Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 121Agawam 60mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Westfield: 88 mg/LWestfield 88West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Sprin. 107Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 12160 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 60 mg/L, Agawam is 22 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 7 mg/L in Southbridge to 121 in Easthampton.

What 60 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 60 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Agawam's water system

Agawam Water Department · PWSID MA1005000

14 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 28,692 people from surface water.

Health-based
14
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

EPA lists Agawam Water Department as the system serving Agawam. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Agawam.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct122018–2022Resolved
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct22022Resolved

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 Agawam water hard?

No. It measures about 60 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 60 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.5.

Has the Agawam water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 14 health-based violations for Agawam Water Department since 2016, involving Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 3 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, December 16, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.