How hard is the water in Old Tappan, NJ?
Reported by Veolia Water New Jersey Hackensack · October 2025
- NJ typical
- 80 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Old Tappan water measures 96 mg/L (5.6 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Veolia Water New Jersey Hackensack, dated October 2025.
Old Tappan sits 16 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 96 mg/L in Harrington Park to 313 in Park Ridge.
What 96 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.6 gpg = 1,260 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 19 days.
EPA record for Old Tappan's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 792,713 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 2
- Open now
- 0
TapWaterData ties Old Tappan to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Old Tappan, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 1 | 2021 | 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 Old Tappan water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 96 mg/L (5.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in Old Tappan in grains per gallon?
About 5.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 96 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.6.
What size water softener do I need in Old Tappan?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.6 gpg works out to about 1,260 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 19 days.
Has the Old Tappan water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Veolia Water New Jersey Hackensack since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Harrington Park96 mg/LModerately hard
- Norwood96 mg/LModerately hard
- Park Ridge313 mg/LVery hard
- Hillsdale96 mg/LModerately hard
- Westwood96 mg/LModerately hard
- Closter96 mg/LModerately hard
- Emerson96 mg/LModerately hard
- Woodcliff Lake313 mg/LVery hard
- Oradell96 mg/LModerately hard
- Dumont96 mg/LModerately hard
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.