Brookdale, NJ water hardness
Reported by Bloomfield Water Department · April 2025
- NJ typical
- 80 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 21
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Brookdale carries roughly 43 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.5 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Bloomfield Water Department, dated April 2025.
At 43 mg/L, Brookdale is 37 mg/L below the typical New Jersey figure of 80. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 43 mg/L in Watsessing to 212 in Garfield.
What 43 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 43 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 Brookdale's water system
21 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 53,315 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 21
- Monitoring or reporting
- 31
- Open now
- 0
TapWaterData ties Brookdale to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Brookdale, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Coliform Rulebacteria | 1 | 2024 | Resolved |
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 3 | 2019–2022 | Resolved |
| Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection | 1 | 2020 | Resolved |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct | 13 | 2017–2020 | Resolved |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct | 3 | 2016–2018 | Resolved |
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 Brookdale water hard?
No. It measures about 43 mg/L (2.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.
What is the water hardness in Brookdale in grains per gallon?
About 2.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 43 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.5.
Has the Brookdale water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 21 health-based violations for Bloomfield Water Department since 2016, involving Total Coliform Rule, Lead and Copper Rule, Surface Water Treatment Rule. There were also 31 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Upper Montclair46 mg/LSoft
- Clifton64 mg/LModerately hard
- Glen Ridge90 mg/LModerately hard
- Passaic64 mg/LModerately hard
- Watsessing43 mg/LSoft
- Rutherford96 mg/LModerately hard
- Garfield212 mg/LVery hard
- Wood-Ridge96 mg/LModerately hard
- East Orange171 mg/LHard
- East Rutherford96 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 2, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.