How hard is the water in Jersey City, NJ?

Tap water hardness
73mg/L
4.3gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Jersey City MUA · October 2025

NJ typical
80 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Jersey City water measures 73 mg/L (4.3 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Jersey City MUA, dated October 2025.

Jersey City on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Harrison: 37 mg/LHarrison 37Newark: 37 mg/LNewark 37Bayonne: 39 mg/LBayonne 39Hoboken: 76 mg/LHoboken 76Union City: 96 mg/LUnion City 96Secaucus: 96 mg/LSecaucus 96West New York: 96 mg/LWest New York 96Guttenberg: 96 mg/LGuttenberg 96East Rutherford: 96 mg/LEast Rutherford 96Kearny: 106 mg/LKearny 106Jersey City 73mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Harrison: 37 mg/LHarrison 37Bayonne: 39 mg/LBayonne 39Hoboken: 76 mg/LHoboken 76Union City: 96 mg/LUnion City 96Secaucus: 96 mg/LSecaucus 96Kearny: 106 mg/LKearny 10673 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 73 mg/L, Jersey City is close to the typical New Jersey figure of 80 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 37 mg/L in Harrison to 106 in Kearny.

What 73 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 Jersey City

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.3 gpg = 963 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 24 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Jersey City's water system

Jersey City MUA · PWSID NJ0906001

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 262,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
7
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total Coliform Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Total Coliform Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total Coliform Rulebacteria12020Resolved

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 Jersey City water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 73 mg/L (4.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Jersey City in grains per gallon?

About 4.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 73 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.3.

What size water softener do I need in Jersey City?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.3 gpg works out to about 963 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 24 days.

Has the Jersey City water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Jersey City MUA since 2016, involving Total Coliform Rule. 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 6, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.