Fitchburg, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
41mg/L
2.4gpg
SoftCounty estimate

County estimate from 1,754 water samples in Worcester County · July 2026

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Fitchburg put hardness at about 41 mg/L (2.4 gpg), which would be soft on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 1,754 samples taken across Worcester County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Fitchburg's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Fitchburg's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Fitchburg on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Leominster: 10 mg/LLeominster 10Clinton: 14 mg/LClinton 14Gardner: 41 mg/LGardner 41Worcester: 42 mg/LWorcester 42Lowell: 43 mg/LLowell 43Framingham: 52 mg/LFramingham 52West Concord: 57 mg/LWest Concord 57Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Maynard: 86 mg/LMaynard 86Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborough 110Fitchburg 41mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Leominster: 10 mg/LLeominster 10Clinton: 14 mg/LClinton 14Gardner: 41 mg/LGardner 41Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Maynard: 86 mg/LMaynard 86Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborou. 11041 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Fitchburg sits close to the typical Massachusetts figure of 38 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 10 mg/L in Leominster to 110 in Northborough.

What 41 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 41 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 Fitchburg's water system

Fitchburg DPW Division of Water Supply · PWSID MA2097000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 41,946 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Fitchburg.

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 Fitchburg water hard?

No. It measures about 41 mg/L (2.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 41 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.4.

Has the Fitchburg water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Fitchburg DPW Division of Water Supply since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.