Framingham, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
52mg/L
3.0gpg
SoftReports range 52–98

Reported by Framingham Water Dept. (MWRA) · October 2025

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

Framingham water measures 52 mg/L (3.0 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Framingham Water Dept. (MWRA), dated October 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 52 to 98 mg/L.

Framingham on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Waltham: 17 mg/LWaltham 17Milford: 37 mg/LMilford 37West Concord: 57 mg/LWest Concord 57Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Maynard: 86 mg/LMaynard 86Wellesley: 89 mg/LWellesley 89Cochituate: 93 mg/LCochituate 93Medfield: 95 mg/LMedfield 95Needham: 96 mg/LNeedham 96Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborough 110Framingham 52mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38West Concord: 57 mg/LWest Conco. 57Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Maynard: 86 mg/LMaynard 86Wellesley: 89 mg/LWellesley 89Cochituate: 93 mg/LCochituate 93Needham: 96 mg/LNeedham 9652 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 52 mg/L, Framingham is 14 mg/L above the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 17 mg/L in Waltham to 110 in Northborough.

What 52 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 52 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 Framingham's water system

Framingham Water Dept. (MWRA) · PWSID MA3100000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 72,362 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 Framingham water hard?

No. It measures about 52 mg/L (3.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 52 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.0.

Has the Framingham water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Framingham Water Dept. (MWRA) since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 1, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.