How hard is the water in Perth Amboy, NJ?
Reported by Perth Amboy Water Department · April 2024
- NJ typical
- 80 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 7
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Perth Amboy water measures 84 mg/L (4.9 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Perth Amboy Water Department, dated April 2024.
At 84 mg/L, Perth Amboy is close to the typical New Jersey figure of 80 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 66 mg/L in Sayreville to 108 in Woodbridge.
What 84 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 × 4.9 gpg = 1,109 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 21 days.
EPA record for Perth Amboy's water system
7 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 52,328 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 7
- Monitoring or reporting
- 31
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross alpha radioactivitynaturally occurring radioactivity | 3 | 2025–2026 | Resolved |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct | 3 | 2019 | Resolved |
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 1 | 2018 | 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 Perth Amboy water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 84 mg/L (4.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in Perth Amboy in grains per gallon?
About 4.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 84 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.9.
What size water softener do I need in Perth Amboy?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.9 gpg works out to about 1,109 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 21 days.
Has the Perth Amboy water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 7 health-based violations for Perth Amboy Water Department since 2016, involving Gross alpha radioactivity, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 31 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- South Amboy104 mg/LModerately hard
- Woodbridge108 mg/LModerately hard
- Fords108 mg/LModerately hard
- Iselin108 mg/LModerately hard
- Avenel108 mg/LModerately hard
- Sayreville66 mg/LModerately hard
- Carteret108 mg/LModerately hard
- Metuchen108 mg/LModerately hard
- Laurence Harbor69 mg/LModerately hard
- Colonia108 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 3, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.