Newton, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
32mg/L
1.9gpg
SoftReports range 32–98

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

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

Newton water measures 32 mg/L (1.9 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Newton Water Dept. (MWRA), dated October 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 32 to 98 mg/L.

Newton on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Watertown: 16 mg/LWatertown 16Belmont: 16 mg/LBelmont 16Waltham: 17 mg/LWaltham 17Arlington: 17 mg/LArlington 17Brookline: 19 mg/LBrookline 19Somerville: 20 mg/LSomerville 20Cambridge: 60 mg/LCambridge 60Wellesley: 89 mg/LWellesley 89Needham: 96 mg/LNeedham 96Dedham: 110 mg/LDedham 110Newton 32mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Watertown: 16 mg/LWatertown 16Belmont: 16 mg/LBelmont 16Waltham: 17 mg/LWaltham 17Brookline: 19 mg/LBrookline 19Wellesley: 89 mg/LWellesley 89Needham: 96 mg/LNeedham 9632 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Newton sits close to the typical Massachusetts figure of 38 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 16 mg/L in Watertown to 110 in Dedham.

What 32 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 32 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 Newton's water system

Newton Water Dept. (MWRA) · PWSID MA3207000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 88,931 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 Newton water hard?

No. It measures about 32 mg/L (1.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 32 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.9.

Has the Newton water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Newton 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 7, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.