Matawan, NJ water hardness

Tap water hardness
59mg/L
3.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Matawan Borough Water De · May 2025

NJ typical
80 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Matawan water measures 59 mg/L (3.5 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Matawan Borough Water De, dated May 2025.

Matawan on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Morganville: 29 mg/LMorganville 29Robertsville: 29 mg/LRobertsville 29Strathmore: 64 mg/LStrathmore 64Lincroft: 64 mg/LLincroft 64Sayreville: 66 mg/LSayreville 66Laurence Harbor: 69 mg/LLaurence Harbor 69Madison Park: 69 mg/LMadison Park 69Old Bridge: 69 mg/LOld Bridge 69Perth Amboy: 84 mg/LPerth Amboy 84South Amboy: 104 mg/LSouth Amboy 104Matawan 59mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Morganville: 29 mg/LMorganville 29Strathmore: 64 mg/LStrathmore 64Laurence Harbor: 69 mg/LLaurence H. 69Madison Park: 69 mg/LMadison Pa. 69Old Bridge: 69 mg/LOld Bridge 69South Amboy: 104 mg/LSouth Amboy 10459 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Matawan sits 21 mg/L below the typical New Jersey figure of 80. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 29 mg/L in Morganville to 104 in South Amboy.

What 59 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 59 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 Matawan's water system

Matawan Borough Water De · PWSID NJ1329001

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 9,084 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
17
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper Rule
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 sampling12022Resolved

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 Matawan water hard?

No. It measures about 59 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 59 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.5.

Has the Matawan water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Matawan Borough Water De since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 17 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, May 6, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.