Manchester, NH water hardness

Tap water hardness
16mg/L
0.9gpg
Soft

Reported by Manchester Water Works · June 2024

NH typical
20 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

Manchester water measures 16 mg/L (0.9 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Manchester Water Works, dated June 2024.

Manchester on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NH typical 20Concord: 13 mg/LConcord 13Keene: 15 mg/LKeene 15Rochester: 20 mg/LRochester 20Lebanon: 22 mg/LLebanon 22Hudson: 31 mg/LHudson 31Nashua: 31 mg/LNashua 31Dover: 64 mg/LDover 64Derry: 123 mg/LDerry 123Portsmouth: 123 mg/LPortsmouth 123Manchester 16mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NH 20Concord: 13 mg/LConcord 13Rochester: 20 mg/LRochester 20Hudson: 31 mg/LHudson 31Nashua: 31 mg/LNashua 31Dover: 64 mg/LDover 64Derry: 123 mg/LDerry 12316 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 16 mg/L, Manchester is close to the typical New Hampshire figure of 20 mg/L. Of the 9 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 13 mg/L in Concord to 123 in Derry.

What 16 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 16 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 Manchester's water system

Manchester Water Works · PWSID NH1471010

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 123,500 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 Manchester water hard?

No. It measures about 16 mg/L (0.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 0.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 16 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.9.

Has the Manchester water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Manchester Water Works since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 10 cities in New Hampshire

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 17, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.