How hard is the water in Westmere, NY?

Tap water hardness
84mg/L
4.9gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Guilderland Town WD · June 2025

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

Westmere water measures 84 mg/L (4.9 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Guilderland Town WD, dated June 2025.

Westmere on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NY typical 31Kingston: 19 mg/LKingston 19Troy: 59 mg/LTroy 59Albany: 75 mg/LAlbany 75Saratoga 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 211Westmere 84mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NY 31Troy: 59 mg/LTroy 59Albany: 75 mg/LAlbany 75Saratoga Springs: 88 mg/LSaratoga S. 88Country Knolls: 123 mg/LCountry Kn. 123Schenectady: 190 mg/LSchenectady 190Niskayuna: 211 mg/LNiskayuna 21184 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Westmere sits 53 mg/L above the typical New York figure of 31. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Kingston to 211 in Niskayuna.

What 84 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 Westmere

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.9 gpg = 1,100 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 21 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Westmere's water system

Guilderland Town WD · PWSID NY0100205

3 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 30,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
3
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Westmere to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Westmere, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct32018–2022Resolved

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 Westmere water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 84 mg/L (4.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 84 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.9.

What size water softener do I need in Westmere?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.9 gpg works out to about 1,100 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 21 days.

Has the Westmere water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 3 health-based violations for Guilderland Town WD since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). 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 1, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.