Apex, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
27mg/L
1.6gpg
Soft

Reported by Apex, Town of · September 2025

NC typical
31 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Apex has about 27 mg/L of hardness, which is 1.6 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Apex, Town of, dated September 2025.

Apex on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Raleigh: 25 mg/LRaleigh 25Morrisville: 30 mg/LMorrisville 30Chapel Hill: 30 mg/LChapel Hill 30Durham: 30 mg/LDurham 30Carrboro: 30 mg/LCarrboro 30Cary: 33 mg/LCary 33Holly Springs: 41 mg/LHolly Springs 41Angier: 51 mg/LAngier 51Lillington: 51 mg/LLillington 51Apex 27mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Raleigh: 25 mg/LRaleigh 25Morrisville: 30 mg/LMorrisville 30Chapel Hill: 30 mg/LChapel Hill 30Cary: 33 mg/LCary 33Holly Springs: 41 mg/LHolly Spri. 4127 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 27 mg/L, Apex is close to the typical North Carolina figure of 31 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 25 mg/L in Garner to 51 in Angier.

What 27 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 27 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 Apex's water system

Apex, Town of · PWSID NC0392045

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 83,001 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
5
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 Apex water hard?

No. It measures about 27 mg/L (1.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 27 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.6.

Has the Apex water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Apex, Town of since 2016. There were also 5 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 101 cities in North Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 28, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.