Hard water in Parsippany, NJ

Tap water hardness
208mg/L
12.2gpg
Very hard

Reported by Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department · May 2025

NJ typical
80 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Parsippany carries roughly 208 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 12.2 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department, dated May 2025.

Parsippany on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Boonton: 92 mg/LBoonton 92Rockaway: 123 mg/LRockaway 123Florham Park: 137 mg/LFlorham Park 137Whippany: 148 mg/LWhippany 148Morris Plains: 148 mg/LMorris Plains 148Morristown: 148 mg/LMorristown 148Pine Brook: 180 mg/LPine Brook 180Towaco: 180 mg/LTowaco 180Troy Hills: 208 mg/LTroy Hills 208Lake Hiawatha: 208 mg/LLake Hiawatha 208Parsippany 208mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Boonton: 92 mg/LBoonton 92Whippany: 148 mg/LWhippany 148Morris Plains: 148 mg/LMorris Pla. 148Pine Brook: 180 mg/LPine Brook 180Troy Hills: 208 mg/LTroy Hills 208Lake Hiawatha: 208 mg/LLake Hiawa. 208208 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Parsippany sits 128 mg/L above the typical New Jersey figure of 80. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 92 mg/L in Boonton to 208 in Troy Hills.

What 208 mg/L means at home

Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.

Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.

Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.

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

At 208 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.

Ion-exchange water softener

The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.

Salt-free conditioner

No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.

Reverse osmosis or carbon filter

Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.

Softener size for Parsippany

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 12.2 gpg = 2,736 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Parsippany's water system

Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department · PWSID NJ1429001

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 50,400 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
48
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 sampling22019–2020Resolved

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 Parsippany water hard?

Yes. It measures about 208 mg/L (12.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

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

About 12.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 208 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 12.2.

What size water softener do I need in Parsippany?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 12.2 gpg works out to about 2,736 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.

Has the Parsippany water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Parsippany-Troy Hills Water Department since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 48 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 19, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.