How hard is the water in Syracuse, NY?

Tap water hardness
109mg/L
6.4gpg
Moderately hardReports range 109–138

Reported by OCWA · September 2025

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

The water in Syracuse carries roughly 109 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.4 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from OCWA, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 109 to 138 mg/L.

Syracuse on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NY typical 31Westvale: 105 mg/LWestvale 105Mattydale: 105 mg/LMattydale 105Fairmount: 105 mg/LFairmount 105North Syracuse: 105 mg/LNorth Syracuse 105Radisson: 105 mg/LRadisson 105Baldwinsville: 105 mg/LBaldwinsville 105Fulton: 105 mg/LFulton 105DeWitt: 106 mg/LDeWitt 106Solvay: 108 mg/LSolvay 108Auburn: 201 mg/LAuburn 201Syracuse 109mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NY 31Westvale: 105 mg/LWestvale 105Mattydale: 105 mg/LMattydale 105Fairmount: 105 mg/LFairmount 105North Syracuse: 105 mg/LNorth Syra. 105DeWitt: 106 mg/LDeWitt 106Solvay: 108 mg/LSolvay 108109 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 109 mg/L, Syracuse is 78 mg/L above the typical New York figure of 31. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 105 mg/L in Westvale to 201 in Auburn.

What 109 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 Syracuse

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.4 gpg = 1,431 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Syracuse's water system

OCWA · PWSID NY3304336

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 350,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Syracuse water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 109 mg/L (6.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 109 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.4.

What size water softener do I need in Syracuse?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.4 gpg works out to about 1,431 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Syracuse water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for OCWA since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 149 cities in New York

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 16, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.