How hard is the water in Goldsboro, NC?

Tap water hardness
75mg/L
4.4gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Wayne Water Districts · November 2022

NC typical
31 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
5
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Goldsboro carries roughly 75 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.4 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Wayne Water Districts, dated November 2022.

Goldsboro on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Wilson: 19 mg/LWilson 19Knightdale: 25 mg/LKnightdale 25Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Rolesville: 25 mg/LRolesville 25Rocky Mount: 28 mg/LRocky Mount 28Greenville: 36 mg/LGreenville 36Dunn: 51 mg/LDunn 51Angier: 51 mg/LAngier 51Lillington: 51 mg/LLillington 51Half Moon: 52 mg/LHalf Moon 52Goldsboro 75mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Wilson: 19 mg/LWilson 19Knightdale: 25 mg/LKnightdale 25Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Rocky Mount: 28 mg/LRocky Mount 28Greenville: 36 mg/LGreenville 36Dunn: 51 mg/LDunn 5175 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 75 mg/L, Goldsboro is 44 mg/L above the typical North Carolina figure of 31. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Wilson to 52 in Half Moon.

What 75 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 Goldsboro

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.4 gpg = 990 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 24 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Goldsboro's water system

Wayne Water Districts · PWSID NC0496065

5 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 39,403 people from groundwater.

Health-based
5
Monitoring or reporting
14
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper RuleBenzo(a)pyrene'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper RuleBenzo(a)pyrene
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 sampling12024Resolved
Benzo(a)pyrene42019–2020Resolved

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 Goldsboro water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 75 mg/L (4.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 75 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.4.

What size water softener do I need in Goldsboro?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.4 gpg works out to about 990 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 24 days.

Has the Goldsboro water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 5 health-based violations for Wayne Water Districts since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule, Benzo(a)pyrene. There were also 14 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, November 29, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.