How hard is the water in Chatham, NJ?

Tap water hardness
105mg/L
6.1gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Verona Water Department · September 2025

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

The water in Chatham carries roughly 105 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.1 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Verona Water Department, dated September 2025.

Chatham on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Mountainside: 100 mg/LMountainside 100Westfield: 100 mg/LWestfield 100Vauxhall: 109 mg/LVauxhall 109Summit: 133 mg/LSummit 133Short Hills: 133 mg/LShort Hills 133New Providence: 133 mg/LNew Providence 133Florham Park: 137 mg/LFlorham Park 137Madison: 138 mg/LMadison 138Whippany: 148 mg/LWhippany 148Morristown: 148 mg/LMorristown 148Chatham 105mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Mountainside: 100 mg/LMountainsi. 100Summit: 133 mg/LSummit 133Short Hills: 133 mg/LShort Hills 133New Providence: 133 mg/LNew Provid. 133Florham Park: 137 mg/LFlorham Pa. 137Madison: 138 mg/LMadison 138105 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Chatham sits 25 mg/L above the typical New Jersey figure of 80. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 100 mg/L in Mountainside to 148 in Whippany.

What 105 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 Chatham

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.1 gpg = 1,379 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Chatham's water system

Chatham Water Dept · PWSID NJ1404001

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 8,962 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
4
Open now
0

EPA lists Chatham Water Dept as the system serving Chatham. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Chatham.

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 Chatham water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 105 mg/L (6.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 105 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.1.

What size water softener do I need in Chatham?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.1 gpg works out to about 1,379 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Chatham water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Chatham Water Dept since 2016. There were also 4 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 227 cities in New Jersey

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 21, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.