Holyoke, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
50mg/L
2.9gpg
Soft

Reported by Holyoke Water Works · October 2025

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

The water in Holyoke carries roughly 50 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.9 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Holyoke Water Works, dated October 2025.

Holyoke on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Southbridge: 7 mg/LSouthbridge 7Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Amherst: 30 mg/LAmherst 30Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Palmer: 45 mg/LPalmer 45Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55Agawam: 60 mg/LAgawam 60Westfield: 88 mg/LWestfield 88West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Springfield 107Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 121Holyoke 50mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55Westfield: 88 mg/LWestfield 88West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Sprin. 107Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 12150 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Holyoke sits 12 mg/L above the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 7 mg/L in Southbridge to 121 in Easthampton.

What 50 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 50 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 Holyoke's water system

Holyoke Water Works · PWSID MA1137000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 37,838 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
30
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 Holyoke water hard?

No. It measures about 50 mg/L (2.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 50 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.9.

Has the Holyoke water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Holyoke Water Works since 2016. There were also 30 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, October 6, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.