How hard is the water in Oxford, MA?

Tap water hardness
61mg/L
3.6gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Aquarion Water Company Oxford · May 2022

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Oxford carries roughly 61 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.6 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Aquarion Water Company Oxford, dated May 2022.

Oxford on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Southbridge: 7 mg/LSouthbridge 7Clinton: 14 mg/LClinton 14Whitinsville: 28 mg/LWhitinsville 28Milford: 37 mg/LMilford 37Worcester: 42 mg/LWorcester 42Palmer: 45 mg/LPalmer 45Webster: 60 mg/LWebster 60Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Franklin: 69 mg/LFranklin 69Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborough 110Oxford 61mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Southbridge: 7 mg/LSouthbridge 7Whitinsville: 28 mg/LWhitinsvil. 28Milford: 37 mg/LMilford 37Worcester: 42 mg/LWorcester 42Webster: 60 mg/LWebster 60Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborou. 11061 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 61 mg/L, Oxford is 23 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 7 mg/L in Southbridge to 110 in Northborough.

What 61 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 Oxford

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.6 gpg = 803 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 29 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Oxford's water system

Aquarion Water Company Oxford · PWSID MA2226000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 7,384 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Oxford water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 61 mg/L (3.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 61 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.6.

What size water softener do I need in Oxford?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.6 gpg works out to about 803 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 29 days.

Has the Oxford water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Aquarion Water Company Oxford since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 23, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.