St. Stephens, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
23mg/L
1.3gpg
Soft

Reported by Hickory City of · December 2024

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

St. Stephens water measures 23 mg/L (1.3 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Hickory City of, dated December 2024.

St. Stephens on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Lincolnton: 14 mg/LLincolnton 14Westport: 14 mg/LWestport 14Statesville: 19 mg/LStatesville 19Morganton: 19 mg/LMorganton 19Hickory: 23 mg/LHickory 23Mount Holly: 23 mg/LMount Holly 23Cornelius: 31 mg/LCornelius 31Davidson: 31 mg/LDavidson 31Huntersville: 31 mg/LHuntersville 31Mooresville: 51 mg/LMooresville 51St. Stephens 23mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Lincolnton: 14 mg/LLincolnton 14Westport: 14 mg/LWestport 14Statesville: 19 mg/LStatesville 19Morganton: 19 mg/LMorganton 19Hickory: 23 mg/LHickory 23Mooresville: 51 mg/LMooresville 5123 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

St. Stephens sits close to the typical North Carolina figure of 31 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 14 mg/L in Lincolnton to 51 in Mooresville.

What 23 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 23 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 St. Stephens's water system

Hickory City of · PWSID NC0118010

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 71,393 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties St. Stephens to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name St. Stephens, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

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 St. Stephens water hard?

No. It measures about 23 mg/L (1.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in St. Stephens in grains per gallon?

About 1.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 23 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.3.

Has the St. Stephens water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Hickory City of since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 101 cities in North Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, December 14, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.