Worcester, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
42mg/L
2.4gpg
SoftReports range 42–104

Reported by Worcester DPWP, Water Supply Division · September 2025

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

The water in Worcester carries roughly 42 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.4 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Worcester DPWP, Water Supply Division, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 42 to 104 mg/L.

Worcester on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Southbridge: 7 mg/LSouthbridge 7Leominster: 10 mg/LLeominster 10Clinton: 14 mg/LClinton 14Whitinsville: 28 mg/LWhitinsville 28Milford: 37 mg/LMilford 37Framingham: 52 mg/LFramingham 52Webster: 60 mg/LWebster 60Oxford: 61 mg/LOxford 61Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborough 110Worcester 42mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Clinton: 14 mg/LClinton 14Whitinsville: 28 mg/LWhitinsvil. 28Webster: 60 mg/LWebster 60Oxford: 61 mg/LOxford 61Marlborough: 67 mg/LMarlborough 67Northborough: 110 mg/LNorthborou. 11042 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 42 mg/L, Worcester is close to the typical Massachusetts figure of 38 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 7 mg/L in Southbridge to 110 in Northborough.

What 42 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 42 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 Worcester's water system

Worcester DPWP, Water Supply Division · PWSID MA2348000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 206,518 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 Worcester water hard?

No. It measures about 42 mg/L (2.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 42 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.4.

Has the Worcester water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Worcester DPWP, Water Supply Division 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.