Upper Montclair, NJ water hardness

Tap water hardness
46mg/L
2.7gpg
Soft

Reported by Montclair Water Bureau · September 2025

NJ typical
80 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Upper Montclair water measures 46 mg/L (2.7 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Montclair Water Bureau, dated September 2025.

Upper Montclair on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NJ typical 80Brookdale: 43 mg/LBrookdale 43Watsessing: 43 mg/LWatsessing 43Clifton: 64 mg/LClifton 64Passaic: 64 mg/LPassaic 64Paterson: 64 mg/LPaterson 64Glen Ridge: 90 mg/LGlen Ridge 90Rutherford: 96 mg/LRutherford 96Wood-Ridge: 96 mg/LWood-Ridge 96East Orange: 171 mg/LEast Orange 171Garfield: 212 mg/LGarfield 212Upper Montclair 46mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NJ 80Brookdale: 43 mg/LBrookdale 43Watsessing: 43 mg/LWatsessing 43Clifton: 64 mg/LClifton 64Passaic: 64 mg/LPassaic 64Glen Ridge: 90 mg/LGlen Ridge 90Rutherford: 96 mg/LRutherford 9646 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 46 mg/L, Upper Montclair is 34 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 43 mg/L in Brookdale to 212 in Garfield.

What 46 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 46 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 Upper Montclair's water system

Montclair Water Bureau · PWSID NJ0713001

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 40,150 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
6
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Upper Montclair to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Upper Montclair, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

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 sampling12024Resolved

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 Upper Montclair water hard?

No. It measures about 46 mg/L (2.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Upper Montclair in grains per gallon?

About 2.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 46 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.7.

Has the Upper Montclair water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Montclair Water Bureau since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 6 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, September 22, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.