Harrison, NJ water hardness
Reported by Newark Water Department · October 2025
- NJ typical
- 80 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 20
- Data
- Utility report
Harrison water measures 37 mg/L (2.2 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Newark Water Department, dated October 2025.
At 37 mg/L, Harrison is 43 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 37 mg/L in Newark to 171 in East Orange.
What 37 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 37 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 Harrison's water system
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 Harrison to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Harrison, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 3 | 2018–2022 | Resolved |
| Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection | 6 | 2016–2020 | Resolved |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct | 7 | 2018–2020 | Resolved |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct | 4 | 2016–2019 | 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 Harrison water hard?
No. It measures about 37 mg/L (2.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.
What is the water hardness in Harrison in grains per gallon?
About 2.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 37 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.2.
Has the Harrison 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
- Newark37 mg/LSoft
- Kearny106 mg/LModerately hard
- East Orange171 mg/LHard
- Watsessing43 mg/LSoft
- Glen Ridge90 mg/LModerately hard
- Jersey City73 mg/LModerately hard
- Secaucus96 mg/LModerately hard
- Elizabeth54 mg/LSoft
- Rutherford96 mg/LModerately hard
- Bayonne39 mg/LSoft
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.