Cary, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
33mg/L
1.9gpg
Soft

Reported by Cary, Town of · September 2025

NC typical
31 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Cary has about 33 mg/L of hardness, which is 1.9 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Cary, Town of, dated September 2025.

Cary on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Raleigh: 25 mg/LRaleigh 25Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Knightdale: 25 mg/LKnightdale 25Apex: 27 mg/LApex 27Morrisville: 30 mg/LMorrisville 30Durham: 30 mg/LDurham 30Chapel Hill: 30 mg/LChapel Hill 30Carrboro: 30 mg/LCarrboro 30Holly Springs: 41 mg/LHolly Springs 41Angier: 51 mg/LAngier 51Cary 33mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Raleigh: 25 mg/LRaleigh 25Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Apex: 27 mg/LApex 27Morrisville: 30 mg/LMorrisville 30Durham: 30 mg/LDurham 30Holly Springs: 41 mg/LHolly Spri. 4133 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 33 mg/L, Cary is close to the typical North Carolina figure of 31 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 25 mg/L in Raleigh to 51 in Angier.

What 33 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 33 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 Cary's water system

Cary, Town of · PWSID NC0392020

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 227,300 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0
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 Rulebacteria12023Resolved

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 Cary water hard?

No. It measures about 33 mg/L (1.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 33 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.9.

Has the Cary water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Cary, Town of since 2016, involving Total Coliform Rule. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, 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 29, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.