How hard is the water in Glen Ridge, NJ?

Tap water hardness
90mg/L
5.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Glen Ridge Water Dept · April 2025

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

The water in Glen Ridge carries roughly 90 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.2 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Glen Ridge Water Dept, dated April 2025.

Glen Ridge on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Harrison: 37 mg/LHarrison 37Newark: 37 mg/LNewark 37Watsessing: 43 mg/LWatsessing 43Brookdale: 43 mg/LBrookdale 43Upper Montclair: 46 mg/LUpper Montclair 46Clifton: 64 mg/LClifton 64Passaic: 64 mg/LPassaic 64Rutherford: 96 mg/LRutherford 96Kearny: 106 mg/LKearny 106East Orange: 171 mg/LEast Orange 171Glen Ridge 90mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Harrison: 37 mg/LHarrison 37Watsessing: 43 mg/LWatsessing 43Brookdale: 43 mg/LBrookdale 43Upper Montclair: 46 mg/LUpper Mont. 46Clifton: 64 mg/LClifton 64East Orange: 171 mg/LEast Orange 17190 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Glen Ridge sits close to the typical New Jersey figure of 80 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 37 mg/L in Harrison to 171 in East Orange.

What 90 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 Glen Ridge

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.2 gpg = 1,181 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Glen Ridge's water system

Glen Ridge Water Dept · PWSID NJ0708001

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 7,681 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
6
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 Glen Ridge water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 90 mg/L (5.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Glen Ridge in grains per gallon?

About 5.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 90 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.2.

What size water softener do I need in Glen Ridge?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.2 gpg works out to about 1,181 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Glen Ridge water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Glen Ridge Water Dept since 2016. There were also 6 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, April 21, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.