Salisbury, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
40mg/L
2.3gpg
SoftCounty estimate

County estimate from 177 water samples in Rowan County · July 2026

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

Water samples from around Salisbury 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 177 samples taken across Rowan County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Salisbury's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Salisbury's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Salisbury on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Statesville: 19 mg/LStatesville 19Lexington: 24 mg/LLexington 24Clemmons: 24 mg/LClemmons 24Midway: 24 mg/LMidway 24Davidson: 31 mg/LDavidson 31Cornelius: 31 mg/LCornelius 31Concord: 34 mg/LConcord 34Harrisburg: 41 mg/LHarrisburg 41Mooresville: 51 mg/LMooresville 51Kannapolis: 58 mg/LKannapolis 58Salisbury 40mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Statesville: 19 mg/LStatesville 19Lexington: 24 mg/LLexington 24Davidson: 31 mg/LDavidson 31Concord: 34 mg/LConcord 34Mooresville: 51 mg/LMooresville 51Kannapolis: 58 mg/LKannapolis 5840 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 40 mg/L, Salisbury is close to the typical North Carolina figure of 31 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Statesville to 58 in Kannapolis.

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 Salisbury's water system

Salisbury-Rowan · PWSID NC0180010

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 46,156 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Salisbury.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total organic carbon removal'16'18'20'22'24'26Total organic carbon removal
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total organic carbon removaltreatment requirement12022Resolved

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 Salisbury 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 Salisbury 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 Salisbury water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Salisbury-Rowan since 2016, involving Total organic carbon removal. 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.