How hard is the water in Beacon, NY?

Tap water hardness
94mg/L
5.5gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Beacon City · June 2025

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

The water in Beacon carries roughly 94 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.5 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Beacon City, dated June 2025.

Beacon on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NY typical 31Briarcliff Manor: 30 mg/LBriarcliff Manor 30Pleasantville: 32 mg/LPleasantville 32Mount Kisco: 55 mg/LMount Kisco 55Mahopac: 71 mg/LMahopac 71Poughkeepsie: 88 mg/LPoughkeepsie 88Peekskill: 100 mg/LPeekskill 100Ossining: 103 mg/LOssining 103New City: 106 mg/LNew City 106Croton-on-Hudson: 107 mg/LCroton-on-Hudson 107Wappingers Falls: 113 mg/LWappingers Falls 113Beacon 94mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NY 31Mount Kisco: 55 mg/LMount Kisco 55Mahopac: 71 mg/LMahopac 71Poughkeepsie: 88 mg/LPoughkeeps. 88Peekskill: 100 mg/LPeekskill 100Croton-on-Hudson: 107 mg/LCroton-on-. 107Wappingers Falls: 113 mg/LWappingers. 11394 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Beacon sits 63 mg/L above the typical New York figure of 31. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 30 mg/L in Briarcliff Manor to 113 in Wappingers Falls.

What 94 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 Beacon

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.5 gpg = 1,235 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 19 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Beacon's water system

Beacon City · PWSID NY1302760

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 14,370 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)filtration and disinfection12025Resolved

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 Beacon water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 94 mg/L (5.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 94 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.5.

What size water softener do I need in Beacon?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.5 gpg works out to about 1,235 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 19 days.

Has the Beacon water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Beacon City since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2). There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 149 cities in New York

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 23, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.