How hard is the water in Garwood, NJ?

Tap water hardness
100mg/L
5.8gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by NJ American Water - Raritan · October 2025

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

The water in Garwood carries roughly 100 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.8 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from NJ American Water - Raritan, dated October 2025.

Garwood on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Westfield: 100 mg/LWestfield 100Kenilworth: 100 mg/LKenilworth 100Mountainside: 100 mg/LMountainside 100Roselle Park: 100 mg/LRoselle Park 100Roselle: 100 mg/LRoselle 100Fanwood: 100 mg/LFanwood 100Linden: 100 mg/LLinden 100Colonia: 108 mg/LColonia 108Summit: 133 mg/LSummit 133Rahway: 196 mg/LRahway 196Garwood 100mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Westfield: 100 mg/LWestfield 100Kenilworth: 100 mg/LKenilworth 100Mountainside: 100 mg/LMountainsi. 100Roselle Park: 100 mg/LRoselle Pa. 100Roselle: 100 mg/LRoselle 100Fanwood: 100 mg/LFanwood 100100 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Garwood sits 20 mg/L above the typical New Jersey figure of 80. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 100 mg/L in Westfield to 196 in Rahway.

What 100 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 Garwood

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.8 gpg = 1,316 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 18 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Garwood's water system

NJ American Water - Raritan · PWSID NJ2004002

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 615,430 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
0

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

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 Garwood water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 100 mg/L (5.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 100 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.8.

What size water softener do I need in Garwood?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.8 gpg works out to about 1,316 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 18 days.

Has the Garwood water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for NJ American Water - Raritan since 2016. There were also 2 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 6, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.