Burlington, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
40mg/L
2.3gpg
SoftCounty estimate

County estimate from 266 water samples in Alamance County · July 2026

NC typical
31 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Burlington put hardness at about 40 mg/L (2.3 gpg), which would be soft on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 266 samples taken across Alamance County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Burlington's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Burlington's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Burlington on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Trinity: 24 mg/LTrinity 24Carrboro: 30 mg/LCarrboro 30Chapel Hill: 30 mg/LChapel Hill 30Durham: 30 mg/LDurham 30High Point: 32 mg/LHigh Point 32Pleasant Garden: 36 mg/LPleasant Garden 36Greensboro: 36 mg/LGreensboro 36Graham: 40 mg/LGraham 40Mebane: 40 mg/LMebane 40Asheboro: 42 mg/LAsheboro 42Burlington 40mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Carrboro: 30 mg/LCarrboro 30Chapel Hill: 30 mg/LChapel Hill 30Pleasant Garden: 36 mg/LPleasant G. 36Greensboro: 36 mg/LGreensboro 36Graham: 40 mg/LGraham 40Mebane: 40 mg/LMebane 4040 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Burlington sits close to the typical North Carolina figure of 31 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 24 mg/L in Trinity to 42 in Asheboro.

What 40 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 40 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 Burlington's water system

Burlington, City of · PWSID NC0201010

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 61,365 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Burlington.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total Coliform Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Total Coliform Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total Coliform Rulebacteria12021Resolved

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 Burlington water hard?

No. It measures about 40 mg/L (2.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 40 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.3.

Has the Burlington water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Burlington, City of since 2016, involving Total Coliform Rule. There were also 3 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 (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.