How hard is the water in Poughkeepsie, NY?

Tap water hardness
88mg/L
5.1gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Poughkeepsie City · October 2025

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

The water in Poughkeepsie carries roughly 88 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.1 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Poughkeepsie City, dated October 2025.

Poughkeepsie on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NY typical 31Kingston: 19 mg/LKingston 19Briarcliff Manor: 30 mg/LBriarcliff Manor 30Mount Kisco: 55 mg/LMount Kisco 55Mahopac: 71 mg/LMahopac 71Beacon: 94 mg/LBeacon 94Peekskill: 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 113Poughkeepsie 88mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NY 31Kingston: 19 mg/LKingston 19Mahopac: 71 mg/LMahopac 71Beacon: 94 mg/LBeacon 94Peekskill: 100 mg/LPeekskill 100Croton-on-Hudson: 107 mg/LCroton-on-. 107Wappingers Falls: 113 mg/LWappingers. 11388 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 88 mg/L, Poughkeepsie is 57 mg/L above the typical New York figure of 31. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Kingston to 113 in Wappingers Falls.

What 88 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 Poughkeepsie

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.1 gpg = 1,156 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Poughkeepsie's water system

Poughkeepsie City · PWSID NY1330291

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 30,639 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
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 Poughkeepsie water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 88 mg/L (5.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 88 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.1.

What size water softener do I need in Poughkeepsie?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.1 gpg works out to about 1,156 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Poughkeepsie water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Poughkeepsie City since 2016. There were also 2 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, October 15, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.