Lexington, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
33mg/L
1.9gpg
SoftReports range 33–48

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

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

Lexington water measures 33 mg/L (1.9 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Lexington Water Dept. (MWRA), dated October 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 33 to 48 mg/L.

Lexington on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Belmont: 16 mg/LBelmont 16Watertown: 16 mg/LWatertown 16Stoneham: 16 mg/LStoneham 16Arlington: 17 mg/LArlington 17Waltham: 17 mg/LWaltham 17Winchester: 20 mg/LWinchester 20Medford: 21 mg/LMedford 21Pinehurst: 62 mg/LPinehurst 62Woburn: 99 mg/LWoburn 99Burlington: 104 mg/LBurlington 104Lexington 33mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Belmont: 16 mg/LBelmont 16Arlington: 17 mg/LArlington 17Waltham: 17 mg/LWaltham 17Winchester: 20 mg/LWinchester 20Woburn: 99 mg/LWoburn 99Burlington: 104 mg/LBurlington 10433 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Lexington sits close to the typical Massachusetts figure of 38 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 16 mg/L in Belmont to 104 in Burlington.

What 33 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 33 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 Lexington's water system

Lexington Water Dept. (MWRA) · PWSID MA3155000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 34,074 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
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 Lexington water hard?

No. It measures about 33 mg/L (1.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 33 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.9.

Has the Lexington water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Lexington Water Dept. (MWRA) since 2016. There were also 2 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 15, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.