Troy, NY water hardness

Tap water hardness
59mg/L
3.4gpg
Soft

Reported by Troy City PWS · August 2025

NY typical
31 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
3
Data
Utility report

Troy water measures 59 mg/L (3.4 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Troy City PWS, dated August 2025.

Troy on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NY typical 31Kingston: 19 mg/LKingston 19Albany: 75 mg/LAlbany 75Westmere: 84 mg/LWestmere 84Saratoga Springs: 88 mg/LSaratoga Springs 88Poughkeepsie: 88 mg/LPoughkeepsie 88Utica: 100 mg/LUtica 100Wappingers Falls: 113 mg/LWappingers Falls 113Country Knolls: 123 mg/LCountry Knolls 123Schenectady: 190 mg/LSchenectady 190Niskayuna: 211 mg/LNiskayuna 211Troy 59mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NY 31Albany: 75 mg/LAlbany 75Westmere: 84 mg/LWestmere 84Saratoga Springs: 88 mg/LSaratoga S. 88Country Knolls: 123 mg/LCountry Kn. 123Schenectady: 190 mg/LSchenectady 190Niskayuna: 211 mg/LNiskayuna 21159 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Troy sits 28 mg/L above the typical New York figure of 31. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Kingston to 211 in Niskayuna.

What 59 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 59 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 Troy's water system

Troy City PWS · PWSID NY4100050

3 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 51,401 people from surface water.

Health-based
3
Monitoring or reporting
5
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)
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 sampling12021Resolved
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct22017–2018Resolved

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 Troy water hard?

No. It measures about 59 mg/L (3.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 59 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.4.

Has the Troy water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 3 health-based violations for Troy City PWS since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 5 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, August 18, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.