Lowell, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
43mg/L
2.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Lowell Regional Water Utility · September 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

The water in Lowell carries roughly 43 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.5 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Lowell Regional Water Utility, dated September 2025.

Lowell on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Reading: 22 mg/LReading 22Lawrence: 32 mg/LLawrence 32Lexington: 33 mg/LLexington 33Andover: 38 mg/LAndover 38Methuen: 49 mg/LMethuen 49West Concord: 57 mg/LWest Concord 57Pinehurst: 62 mg/LPinehurst 62Wilmington: 68 mg/LWilmington 68Woburn: 99 mg/LWoburn 99Burlington: 104 mg/LBurlington 104Lowell 43mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Lawrence: 32 mg/LLawrence 32Andover: 38 mg/LAndover 38Methuen: 49 mg/LMethuen 49Pinehurst: 62 mg/LPinehurst 62Wilmington: 68 mg/LWilmington 68Burlington: 104 mg/LBurlington 10443 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 43 mg/L, Lowell is close to the typical Massachusetts figure of 38 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 22 mg/L in Reading to 104 in Burlington.

What 43 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 43 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 Lowell's water system

Lowell Regional Water Utility · PWSID MA3160000

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 120,418 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling12017Resolved

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 Lowell water hard?

No. It measures about 43 mg/L (2.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 43 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.5.

Has the Lowell water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Lowell Regional Water Utility since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. 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 (utility report, September 28, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.