Pittsfield, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
28mg/L
1.6gpg
Soft

Reported by Pittsfield Dpu Water Dept · February 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Pittsfield has about 28 mg/L of hardness, which is 1.6 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Pittsfield Dpu Water Dept, dated February 2025.

Pittsfield on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Amherst: 30 mg/LAmherst 30Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55Agawam: 60 mg/LAgawam 60North Adams: 65 mg/LNorth Adams 65Westfield: 88 mg/LWestfield 88West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Springfield 107Adams: 108 mg/LAdams 108Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 121Pittsfield 28mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55North Adams: 65 mg/LNorth Adams 65Westfield: 88 mg/LWestfield 88Adams: 108 mg/LAdams 108Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 12128 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 28 mg/L, Pittsfield is close to the typical Massachusetts figure of 38 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 30 mg/L in Amherst to 121 in Easthampton.

What 28 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 28 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 Pittsfield's water system

Pittsfield Dpu Water Dept · PWSID MA1236000

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 43,927 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
1
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 disinfection12016Resolved

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 Pittsfield water hard?

No. It measures about 28 mg/L (1.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 28 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.6.

Has the Pittsfield water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Pittsfield Dpu Water Dept since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule. 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, February 26, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.