Ringwood, NJ water hardness

Tap water hardness
42mg/L
2.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Ringwood Water Department · March 2025

NJ typical
80 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
4
Data
Utility report

The water in Ringwood carries roughly 42 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.5 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Ringwood Water Department, dated March 2025.

Ringwood on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Butler: 37 mg/LButler 37Kinnelon: 37 mg/LKinnelon 37Pompton Lakes: 44 mg/LPompton Lakes 44Packanack Lake: 44 mg/LPackanack Lake 44Preakness: 44 mg/LPreakness 44Upper Saddle River: 96 mg/LUpper Saddle River 96Franklin Lakes: 98 mg/LFranklin Lakes 98Midland Park: 105 mg/LMidland Park 105Ramsey: 131 mg/LRamsey 131Waldwick: 256 mg/LWaldwick 256Ringwood 42mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Butler: 37 mg/LButler 37Pompton Lakes: 44 mg/LPompton La. 44Upper Saddle River: 96 mg/LUpper Sadd. 96Franklin Lakes: 98 mg/LFranklin L. 98Ramsey: 131 mg/LRamsey 131Waldwick: 256 mg/LWaldwick 25642 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 42 mg/L, Ringwood is 38 mg/L below the typical New Jersey figure of 80. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 37 mg/L in Butler to 256 in Waldwick.

What 42 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 42 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 Ringwood's water system

Ringwood Water Department · PWSID NJ1611002

4 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 9,327 people from surface water.

Health-based
4
Monitoring or reporting
25
Open now
4
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment RuleLead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment RuleLead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection22024Resolved
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 Ringwood water hard?

No. It measures about 42 mg/L (2.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 42 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.5.

Has the Ringwood water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 4 health-based violations for Ringwood Water Department since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule, Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 25 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, March 31, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.