How hard is the water in Walpole, MA?

Tap water hardness
66mg/L
3.9gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Walpole Water Dept · August 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Walpole water measures 66 mg/L (3.9 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Walpole Water Dept, dated August 2025.

Walpole on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Milton: 44 mg/LMilton 44Norwood: 46 mg/LNorwood 46Sharon: 47 mg/LSharon 47Foxborough: 48 mg/LFoxborough 48Mansfield Center: 50 mg/LMansfield Center 50Randolph: 68 mg/LRandolph 68Franklin: 69 mg/LFranklin 69Medfield: 95 mg/LMedfield 95Needham: 96 mg/LNeedham 96Dedham: 110 mg/LDedham 110Walpole 66mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Norwood: 46 mg/LNorwood 46Sharon: 47 mg/LSharon 47Foxborough: 48 mg/LFoxborough 48Mansfield Center: 50 mg/LMansfield. 50Medfield: 95 mg/LMedfield 95Dedham: 110 mg/LDedham 11066 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 66 mg/L, Walpole is 28 mg/L above the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 44 mg/L in Milton to 110 in Dedham.

What 66 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 Walpole

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.9 gpg = 873 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 27 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Walpole's water system

Walpole Water Dept · PWSID MA4307000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 24,070 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
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 Walpole water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 66 mg/L (3.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 66 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.9.

What size water softener do I need in Walpole?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.9 gpg works out to about 873 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 27 days.

Has the Walpole water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Walpole Water Dept since 2016. 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, August 24, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.