Brookline, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
19mg/L
1.1gpg
Soft

Reported by Brookline Water and Sewer Division · September 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

The water in Brookline carries roughly 19 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.1 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Brookline Water and Sewer Division, dated September 2025.

Brookline on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Watertown: 16 mg/LWatertown 16Belmont: 16 mg/LBelmont 16Boston: 17 mg/LBoston 17Arlington: 17 mg/LArlington 17Somerville: 20 mg/LSomerville 20Newton: 32 mg/LNewton 32Milton: 44 mg/LMilton 44Cambridge: 60 mg/LCambridge 60Needham: 96 mg/LNeedham 96Dedham: 110 mg/LDedham 110Brookline 19mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Watertown: 16 mg/LWatertown 16Belmont: 16 mg/LBelmont 16Somerville: 20 mg/LSomerville 20Newton: 32 mg/LNewton 32Cambridge: 60 mg/LCambridge 60Dedham: 110 mg/LDedham 11019 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 19 mg/L, Brookline is 19 mg/L below the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 16 mg/L in Watertown to 110 in Dedham.

What 19 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 19 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 Brookline's water system

Brookline Water and Sewer Division · PWSID MA3046000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 63,191 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Brookline water hard?

No. It measures about 19 mg/L (1.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 19 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.1.

Has the Brookline water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Brookline Water and Sewer Division since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 19, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.