How hard is the water in Maynard, MA?

Tap water hardness
86mg/L
5.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Acton Water Supply District · September 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
5
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Maynard has about 86 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Acton Water Supply District, dated September 2025.

Maynard on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Clinton: 14 mg/LClinton 14Waltham: 17 mg/LWaltham 17Lexington: 33 mg/LLexington 33Framingham: 52 mg/LFramingham 52West Concord: 57 mg/LWest Concord 57Pinehurst: 62 mg/LPinehurst 62Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Wellesley: 89 mg/LWellesley 89Cochituate: 93 mg/LCochituate 93Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborough 110Maynard 86mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Waltham: 17 mg/LWaltham 17Lexington: 33 mg/LLexington 33Framingham: 52 mg/LFramingham 52West Concord: 57 mg/LWest Conco. 57Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Cochituate: 93 mg/LCochituate 9386 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Maynard sits 48 mg/L above the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 14 mg/L in Clinton to 110 in Northborough.

What 86 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

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

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Maynard

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.0 gpg = 1,132 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 21 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Maynard's water system

Maynard DPW, Water Division · PWSID MA2174000

5 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 10,746 people from groundwater.

Health-based
5
Monitoring or reporting
7
Open now
0

EPA lists Maynard DPW, Water Division as the system serving Maynard. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Maynard.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct52016–2025Resolved

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 Maynard water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 86 mg/L (5.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 86 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.0.

What size water softener do I need in Maynard?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.0 gpg works out to about 1,132 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 21 days.

Has the Maynard water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 5 health-based violations for Maynard DPW, Water Division since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 7 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, September 23, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.