Quincy, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
38mg/L
2.2gpg
SoftReports range 38–83

Reported by Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA) · September 2025

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

Tap water in Quincy has about 38 mg/L of hardness, which is 2.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA), dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 38 to 83 mg/L.

Quincy on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Chelsea: 16 mg/LChelsea 16Boston: 17 mg/LBoston 17Brookline: 19 mg/LBrookline 19Weymouth: 28 mg/LWeymouth 28Milton: 44 mg/LMilton 44Braintree: 55 mg/LBraintree 55Randolph: 68 mg/LRandolph 68Holbrook: 74 mg/LHolbrook 74Dedham: 110 mg/LDedham 110Hingham: 123 mg/LHingham 123Quincy 38mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Boston: 17 mg/LBoston 17Weymouth: 28 mg/LWeymouth 28Milton: 44 mg/LMilton 44Braintree: 55 mg/LBraintree 55Randolph: 68 mg/LRandolph 68Hingham: 123 mg/LHingham 12338 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Quincy sits 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 16 mg/L in Chelsea to 123 in Hingham.

What 38 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 38 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 Quincy's water system

Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA) · PWSID MA3243000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 106,000 people from surface water.

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 Quincy water hard?

No. It measures about 38 mg/L (2.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 38 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.2.

Has the Quincy water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Quincy Water Dept. (MWRA) since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 22, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.