How hard is the water in Ridgewood, NJ?

Tap water hardness
105mg/L
6.1gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Ridgewood Water · October 2025

NJ typical
80 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Ridgewood water measures 105 mg/L (6.1 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Ridgewood Water, dated October 2025.

Ridgewood on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Hawthorne: 5 mg/LHawthorne 5Prospect Park: 64 mg/LProspect Park 64Paramus: 96 mg/LParamus 96Hillsdale: 96 mg/LHillsdale 96Westwood: 96 mg/LWestwood 96Glen Rock: 105 mg/LGlen Rock 105Midland Park: 105 mg/LMidland Park 105Fair Lawn: 137 mg/LFair Lawn 137Waldwick: 256 mg/LWaldwick 256Woodcliff Lake: 313 mg/LWoodcliff Lake 313Ridgewood 105mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Hawthorne: 5 mg/LHawthorne 5Paramus: 96 mg/LParamus 96Glen Rock: 105 mg/LGlen Rock 105Midland Park: 105 mg/LMidland Pa. 105Fair Lawn: 137 mg/LFair Lawn 137Waldwick: 256 mg/LWaldwick 256105 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 105 mg/L, Ridgewood is 25 mg/L above the typical New Jersey figure of 80. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 5 mg/L in Hawthorne to 313 in Woodcliff Lake.

What 105 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.

Softener size for Ridgewood

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.1 gpg = 1,381 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Ridgewood's water system

Ridgewood Water · PWSID NJ0251001

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 61,700 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
32
Open now
3
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 sampling12019Resolved

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 Ridgewood water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 105 mg/L (6.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 105 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.1.

What size water softener do I need in Ridgewood?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.1 gpg works out to about 1,381 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Ridgewood water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Ridgewood Water since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 32 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, October 20, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.