Rocky Mount, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
28mg/L
1.6gpg
SoftCounty estimate

County estimate from 122 water samples in Edgecombe County · July 2026

NC typical
31 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Rocky Mount put hardness at about 28 mg/L (1.6 gpg), which would be soft on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 122 samples taken across Edgecombe County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Rocky Mount's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Rocky Mount's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Rocky Mount on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Wilson: 19 mg/LWilson 19Rolesville: 25 mg/LRolesville 25Knightdale: 25 mg/LKnightdale 25Raleigh: 25 mg/LRaleigh 25Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Cary: 33 mg/LCary 33Greenville: 36 mg/LGreenville 36Washington: 43 mg/LWashington 43Goldsboro: 75 mg/LGoldsboro 75Wake Forest: 106 mg/LWake Forest 106Rocky Mount 28mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Wilson: 19 mg/LWilson 19Rolesville: 25 mg/LRolesville 25Knightdale: 25 mg/LKnightdale 25Greenville: 36 mg/LGreenville 36Goldsboro: 75 mg/LGoldsboro 75Wake Forest: 106 mg/LWake Forest 10628 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Rocky Mount sits close to the typical North Carolina figure of 31 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Wilson to 106 in Wake Forest.

What 28 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 28 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 Rocky Mount's water system

Rocky Mount, City of · PWSID NC0464010

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 55,891 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Rocky Mount.

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 Rocky Mount water hard?

No. It measures about 28 mg/L (1.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Rocky Mount in grains per gallon?

About 1.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 28 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.6.

Has the Rocky Mount water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Rocky Mount, 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 (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.