Southbridge, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
7mg/L
0.4gpg
Soft

Reported by Southbridge Water Department · June 2022

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

The water in Southbridge carries roughly 7 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 0.4 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Southbridge Water Department, dated June 2022.

Southbridge on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Clinton: 14 mg/LClinton 14Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Whitinsville: 28 mg/LWhitinsville 28Milford: 37 mg/LMilford 37Worcester: 42 mg/LWorcester 42Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Palmer: 45 mg/LPalmer 45Webster: 60 mg/LWebster 60Oxford: 61 mg/LOxford 61Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborough 110Southbridge 7mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Whitinsville: 28 mg/LWhitinsvil. 28Worcester: 42 mg/LWorcester 42Palmer: 45 mg/LPalmer 45Webster: 60 mg/LWebster 60Oxford: 61 mg/LOxford 617 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 7 mg/L, Southbridge is 31 mg/L below the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 14 mg/L in Clinton to 110 in Northborough.

What 7 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 7 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 Southbridge's water system

Southbridge Water Department · PWSID MA2278000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 19,562 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 Southbridge water hard?

No. It measures about 7 mg/L (0.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 0.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 7 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.4.

Has the Southbridge water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Southbridge Water Department since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 7, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.