How hard is the water in Bridgewater, MA?

Tap water hardness
62mg/L
3.6gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Bridgewater Water Department · August 2025

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

Tap water in Bridgewater has about 62 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.6 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Bridgewater Water Department, dated August 2025.

Bridgewater on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Kingston: 39 mg/LKingston 39Middleborough Center: 42 mg/LMiddleborough Center 42Taunton: 47 mg/LTaunton 47Sharon: 47 mg/LSharon 47Foxborough: 48 mg/LFoxborough 48Brockton: 49 mg/LBrockton 49Mansfield Center: 50 mg/LMansfield Center 50Abington: 67 mg/LAbington 67Randolph: 68 mg/LRandolph 68Holbrook: 74 mg/LHolbrook 74Bridgewater 62mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Middleborough Center: 42 mg/LMiddleboro. 42Taunton: 47 mg/LTaunton 47Brockton: 49 mg/LBrockton 49Mansfield Center: 50 mg/LMansfield. 50Abington: 67 mg/LAbington 67Holbrook: 74 mg/LHolbrook 7462 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 62 mg/L, Bridgewater is 24 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 39 mg/L in Kingston to 74 in Holbrook.

What 62 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 Bridgewater

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.6 gpg = 814 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 29 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Bridgewater's water system

Bridgewater Water Department · PWSID MA4042000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 28,633 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
8
Open now
0

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 Bridgewater water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 62 mg/L (3.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 62 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.6.

What size water softener do I need in Bridgewater?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.6 gpg works out to about 814 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 29 days.

Has the Bridgewater water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bridgewater Water Department since 2016. There were also 8 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, August 5, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.