How hard is the water in Westfield, MA?

Tap water hardness
88mg/L
5.2gpg
Moderately hardReports range 88–106

Reported by Westfield Dpwwater Division · April 2025

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

Tap water in Westfield has about 88 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Westfield Dpwwater Division, dated April 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 88 to 106 mg/L.

Westfield on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Pittsfield: 28 mg/LPittsfield 28Amherst: 30 mg/LAmherst 30Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Palmer: 45 mg/LPalmer 45Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Northampton: 55 mg/LNorthampton 55Agawam: 60 mg/LAgawam 60West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Springfield 107Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 121Westfield 88mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Springfield: 24 mg/LSpringfield 24Chicopee: 42 mg/LChicopee 42Holyoke: 50 mg/LHolyoke 50Agawam: 60 mg/LAgawam 60West Springfield: 107 mg/LWest Sprin. 107Easthampton: 121 mg/LEasthampton 12188 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 88 mg/L, Westfield is 50 mg/L above the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 24 mg/L in Springfield to 121 in Easthampton.

What 88 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 Westfield

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.2 gpg = 1,161 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Westfield's water system

Westfield Dpwwater Division · PWSID MA1329000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 41,094 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
6
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 Westfield water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 88 mg/L (5.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 88 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.2.

What size water softener do I need in Westfield?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.2 gpg works out to about 1,161 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Westfield water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Westfield Dpwwater Division since 2016. There were also 6 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, April 29, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.