Morganton, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
19mg/L
1.1gpg
Soft

Reported by Morganton City of · July 2025

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

The water in Morganton carries roughly 19 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.1 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Morganton City of, dated July 2025.

Morganton on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Swannanoa: 9 mg/LSwannanoa 9Black Mountain: 10 mg/LBlack Mountain 10Lincolnton: 14 mg/LLincolnton 14Westport: 14 mg/LWestport 14Statesville: 19 mg/LStatesville 19Shelby: 20 mg/LShelby 20Hickory: 23 mg/LHickory 23St. Stephens: 23 mg/LSt. Stephens 23Boone: 28 mg/LBoone 28Gastonia: 28 mg/LGastonia 28Morganton 19mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Black Mountain: 10 mg/LBlack Moun. 10Lincolnton: 14 mg/LLincolnton 14Shelby: 20 mg/LShelby 20Hickory: 23 mg/LHickory 23St. Stephens: 23 mg/LSt. Stephe. 23Boone: 28 mg/LBoone 2819 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 19 mg/L, Morganton is 12 mg/L below the typical North Carolina figure of 31. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 9 mg/L in Swannanoa to 28 in Boone.

What 19 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 19 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 Morganton's water system

Morganton City of · PWSID NC0112015

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 27,221 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
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 Morganton water hard?

No. It measures about 19 mg/L (1.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 19 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.1.

Has the Morganton water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Morganton City of since 2016. 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 (utility report, July 21, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.