Amherst, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
30mg/L
1.7gpg
SoftReports range 30–48

Reported by Amherst DPW Water Division · November 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Amherst has about 30 mg/L of hardness, which is 1.7 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Amherst DPW Water Division, dated November 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 30 to 48 mg/L.

Amherst on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Gardner: 41 mg/LGardner 41Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Palmer: 45 mg/LPalmer 45Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55Agawam: 60 mg/LAgawam 60Westfield: 88 mg/LWestfield 88West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Springfield 107Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 121Amherst 30mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Palmer: 45 mg/LPalmer 45Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 12130 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 30 mg/L, Amherst is close to the typical Massachusetts figure of 38 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 24 mg/L in Springfield to 121 in Easthampton.

What 30 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 30 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 Amherst's water system

Amherst DPW Water Division · PWSID MA1008000

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 39,263 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection12024Resolved

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 Amherst water hard?

No. It measures about 30 mg/L (1.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 30 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.7.

Has the Amherst water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Amherst DPW Water Division since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, November 20, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.