Hard water in Somerset, NJ

Tap water hardness
169mg/L
9.9gpg
Hard

Reported by Franklin Township Dept of Public Works · July 2025

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

The water in Somerset carries roughly 169 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 9.9 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from Franklin Township Dept of Public Works, dated July 2025.

Somerset on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Highland Park: 63 mg/LHighland Park 63New Brunswick: 66 mg/LNew Brunswick 66Milltown: 66 mg/LMilltown 66Rutgers University-Busch Campus: 100 mg/LRutgers University-Busch Campus 100Bound Brook: 100 mg/LBound Brook 100Middlesex: 100 mg/LMiddlesex 100Manville: 100 mg/LManville 100Franklin Center: 111 mg/LFranklin Center 111East Franklin: 235 mg/LEast Franklin 235Franklin Park: 235 mg/LFranklin Park 235Somerset 169mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Highland Park: 63 mg/LHighland P. 63New Brunswick: 66 mg/LNew Brunsw. 66Rutgers University-Busch Campus: 100 mg/LRutgers Un. 100Bound Brook: 100 mg/LBound Brook 100Franklin Center: 111 mg/LFranklin C. 111East Franklin: 235 mg/LEast Frank. 235169 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 169 mg/L, Somerset is 89 mg/L above the typical New Jersey figure of 80. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 63 mg/L in Highland Park to 235 in East Franklin.

What 169 mg/L means at home

Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.

Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.

Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.

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 169 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 Somerset

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 9.9 gpg = 2,228 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Somerset's water system

Franklin Township Dept of Public Works · PWSID NJ1808001

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 57,150 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
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 sampling22021Resolved

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 Somerset water hard?

Yes. It measures about 169 mg/L (9.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.

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

About 9.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 169 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 9.9.

What size water softener do I need in Somerset?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 9.9 gpg works out to about 2,228 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.

Has the Somerset water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Franklin Township Dept of Public Works 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, July 31, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.