Palmer, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
45mg/L
2.6gpg
Soft

Reported by Palmer Water District No.1 · July 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Data
Utility report

Palmer water measures 45 mg/L (2.6 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Palmer Water District No.1, dated July 2025.

Palmer on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Southbridge: 7 mg/LSouthbridge 7Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Amherst: 30 mg/LAmherst 30Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55Agawam: 60 mg/LAgawam 60Oxford: 61 mg/LOxford 61West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Springfield 107Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 121Palmer 45mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Southbridge: 7 mg/LSouthbridge 7Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Amherst: 30 mg/LAmherst 30Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Sprin. 10745 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 45 mg/L, Palmer 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 7 mg/L in Southbridge to 121 in Easthampton.

What 45 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 45 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 Palmer's water system

Palmer Water District No.1 · PWSID MA1227000

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 4,789 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection22024–2025Resolved

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 Palmer water hard?

No. It measures about 45 mg/L (2.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 45 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.6.

Has the Palmer water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Palmer Water District No.1 since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment 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, July 27, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.