Swampscott, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
38mg/L
2.2gpg
Soft

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

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

The water in Swampscott carries roughly 38 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.2 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Swampscott Water Dept. (MWRA), dated September 2025.

Swampscott on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Saugus: 10 mg/LSaugus 10Marblehead: 16 mg/LMarblehead 16Chelsea: 16 mg/LChelsea 16Melrose: 18 mg/LMelrose 18Salem: 67 mg/LSalem 67Lynn: 67 mg/LLynn 67Beverly: 70 mg/LBeverly 70Revere: 87 mg/LRevere 87Peabody: 128 mg/LPeabody 128Danvers: 130 mg/LDanvers 130Swampscott 38mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Saugus: 10 mg/LSaugus 10Marblehead: 16 mg/LMarblehead 16Salem: 67 mg/LSalem 67Lynn: 67 mg/LLynn 67Revere: 87 mg/LRevere 87Peabody: 128 mg/LPeabody 12838 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 38 mg/L, Swampscott 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 10 mg/L in Saugus to 130 in Danvers.

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 Swampscott's water system

Swampscott Water Dept. (MWRA) · PWSID MA3291000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 15,300 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 Swampscott 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 Swampscott 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 Swampscott water system had EPA violations?

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

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 8, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.