How hard is the water in Pinehurst, MA?

Tap water hardness
62mg/L
3.6gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Billerica Water Works · August 2025

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

Pinehurst water measures 62 mg/L (3.6 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Billerica Water Works, dated August 2025.

Pinehurst on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Stoneham: 16 mg/LStoneham 16Arlington: 17 mg/LArlington 17Winchester: 20 mg/LWinchester 20Reading: 22 mg/LReading 22Lexington: 33 mg/LLexington 33Lowell: 43 mg/LLowell 43Wakefield: 51 mg/LWakefield 51Wilmington: 68 mg/LWilmington 68Woburn: 99 mg/LWoburn 99Burlington: 104 mg/LBurlington 104Pinehurst 62mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Winchester: 20 mg/LWinchester 20Reading: 22 mg/LReading 22Lexington: 33 mg/LLexington 33Wilmington: 68 mg/LWilmington 68Woburn: 99 mg/LWoburn 99Burlington: 104 mg/LBurlington 10462 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 62 mg/L, Pinehurst is 24 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 16 mg/L in Stoneham to 104 in Burlington.

What 62 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 Pinehurst

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.6 gpg = 810 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 29 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Pinehurst's water system

Billerica Water Works · PWSID MA3031000

3 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 42,119 people from surface water.

Health-based
3
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Pinehurst to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Pinehurst, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Bromate'16'18'20'22'24'26Bromate
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Bromate32022–2023Resolved

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 Pinehurst water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 62 mg/L (3.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 62 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.6.

What size water softener do I need in Pinehurst?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.6 gpg works out to about 810 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 29 days.

Has the Pinehurst water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 3 health-based violations for Billerica Water Works since 2016, involving Bromate.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 5, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.