Packanack Lake, NJ water hardness

Tap water hardness
44mg/L
2.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Township of Wayne · July 2025

NJ typical
80 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Packanack Lake has about 44 mg/L of hardness, which is 2.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Township of Wayne, dated July 2025.

Packanack Lake on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Hawthorne: 5 mg/LHawthorne 5Butler: 37 mg/LButler 37Preakness: 44 mg/LPreakness 44Pompton Lakes: 44 mg/LPompton Lakes 44Prospect Park: 64 mg/LProspect Park 64Paterson: 64 mg/LPaterson 64Franklin Lakes: 98 mg/LFranklin Lakes 98Glen Rock: 105 mg/LGlen Rock 105Towaco: 180 mg/LTowaco 180Pine Brook: 180 mg/LPine Brook 180Packanack Lake 44mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Hawthorne: 5 mg/LHawthorne 5Preakness: 44 mg/LPreakness 44Pompton Lakes: 44 mg/LPompton La. 44Prospect Park: 64 mg/LProspect P. 64Paterson: 64 mg/LPaterson 64Towaco: 180 mg/LTowaco 18044 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Packanack Lake sits 36 mg/L below the typical New Jersey figure of 80. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 5 mg/L in Hawthorne to 180 in Towaco.

What 44 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 44 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 Packanack Lake's water system

Township of Wayne · PWSID NJ1614001

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 55,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
10
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Packanack Lake to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Packanack Lake, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

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 Packanack Lake water hard?

No. It measures about 44 mg/L (2.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Packanack Lake in grains per gallon?

About 2.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 44 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.5.

Has the Packanack Lake water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Township of Wayne since 2016. There were also 10 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, July 14, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.