How hard is the water in Buffalo, NY?

Tap water hardness
86mg/L
5.1gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Buffalo Water Authority · September 2025

NY typical
31 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Buffalo has about 86 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.1 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Buffalo Water Authority, dated September 2025.

Buffalo on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NY typical 31Lackawanna: 109 mg/LLackawanna 109Cheektowaga: 109 mg/LCheektowaga 109Eggertsville: 109 mg/LEggertsville 109West Seneca: 109 mg/LWest Seneca 109Williamsville: 109 mg/LWilliamsville 109Depew: 109 mg/LDepew 109Tonawanda: 109 mg/LTonawanda 109Lancaster: 109 mg/LLancaster 109Harris Hill: 109 mg/LHarris Hill 109North Tonawanda: 167 mg/LNorth Tonawanda 167Buffalo 86mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NY 31Lackawanna: 109 mg/LLackawanna 109Cheektowaga: 109 mg/LCheektowaga 109Eggertsville: 109 mg/LEggertsvil. 109West Seneca: 109 mg/LWest Seneca 109Williamsville: 109 mg/LWilliamsvi. 109Depew: 109 mg/LDepew 10986 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Buffalo sits 55 mg/L above the typical New York figure of 31. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 109 mg/L in Lackawanna to 167 in North Tonawanda.

What 86 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 Buffalo

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.1 gpg = 1,138 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 21 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Buffalo's water system

Buffalo Water Authority · PWSID NY1400422

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 276,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
4
Open now
0

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 Buffalo water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 86 mg/L (5.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 86 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.1.

What size water softener do I need in Buffalo?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.1 gpg works out to about 1,138 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 21 days.

Has the Buffalo water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Buffalo Water Authority since 2016. There were also 4 monitoring or reporting violations, 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, September 15, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.