Elizabeth, NJ water hardness

Tap water hardness
54mg/L
3.2gpg
Soft

Reported by Newark Water Department · October 2025

NJ typical
80 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
20
Data
Utility report

Elizabeth water measures 54 mg/L (3.2 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Newark Water Department, dated October 2025.

Elizabeth on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Newark: 37 mg/LNewark 37Harrison: 37 mg/LHarrison 37Bayonne: 39 mg/LBayonne 39Linden: 100 mg/LLinden 100Roselle: 100 mg/LRoselle 100Roselle Park: 100 mg/LRoselle Park 100Kenilworth: 100 mg/LKenilworth 100Carteret: 108 mg/LCarteret 108Vauxhall: 109 mg/LVauxhall 109Rahway: 196 mg/LRahway 196Elizabeth 54mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Newark: 37 mg/LNewark 37Bayonne: 39 mg/LBayonne 39Linden: 100 mg/LLinden 100Roselle: 100 mg/LRoselle 100Roselle Park: 100 mg/LRoselle Pa. 100Kenilworth: 100 mg/LKenilworth 10054 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Elizabeth sits 26 mg/L below the typical New Jersey figure of 80. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 37 mg/L in Newark to 196 in Rahway.

What 54 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 54 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 Elizabeth's water system

Newark Water Department · PWSID NJ0714001

20 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 294,274 people from surface water.

Health-based
20
Monitoring or reporting
7
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Elizabeth to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Elizabeth, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper RuleSurface Water Treatment RuleHaloacetic acids (HAA5)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper RuleSurface Water Treatment RuleHaloacetic acids (HAA5)Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling32018–2022Resolved
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection62016–2020Resolved
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct72018–2020Resolved
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct42016–2019Resolved

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 Elizabeth water hard?

No. It measures about 54 mg/L (3.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 54 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.2.

Has the Elizabeth water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 20 health-based violations for Newark Water Department since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule, Surface Water Treatment Rule, Haloacetic acids (HAA5). There were also 7 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, October 5, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.