How hard is the water in Wake Forest, NC?

Tap water hardness
106mg/L
6.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by A Country Place · April 2024

NC typical
31 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Wake Forest has about 106 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from A Country Place, dated April 2024.

Wake Forest on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Rolesville: 25 mg/LRolesville 25Raleigh: 25 mg/LRaleigh 25Knightdale: 25 mg/LKnightdale 25Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Apex: 27 mg/LApex 27Morrisville: 30 mg/LMorrisville 30Durham: 30 mg/LDurham 30Chapel Hill: 30 mg/LChapel Hill 30Cary: 33 mg/LCary 33Holly Springs: 41 mg/LHolly Springs 41Wake Forest 106mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Rolesville: 25 mg/LRolesville 25Raleigh: 25 mg/LRaleigh 25Knightdale: 25 mg/LKnightdale 25Garner: 25 mg/LGarner 25Morrisville: 30 mg/LMorrisville 30Cary: 33 mg/LCary 33106 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Wake Forest sits 75 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 25 mg/L in Rolesville to 41 in Holly Springs.

What 106 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 Wake Forest

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.2 gpg = 1,395 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Wake Forest's water system

A Country Place · PWSID NC0392222

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 89 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Wake Forest water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 106 mg/L (6.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Wake Forest in grains per gallon?

About 6.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 106 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.2.

What size water softener do I need in Wake Forest?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.2 gpg works out to about 1,395 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Wake Forest water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for A Country Place since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 101 cities in North Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 22, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.