Wilmington, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
21mg/L
1.2gpg
Soft

Reported by Cfpua-Wilmington · September 2024

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

Wilmington water measures 21 mg/L (1.2 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Cfpua-Wilmington, dated September 2024.

Wilmington on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Hampstead: 27 mg/LHampstead 27Leland: 49 mg/LLeland 49Boiling Spring Lakes: 49 mg/LBoiling Spring Lakes 49St. James: 49 mg/LSt. James 49Shallotte: 49 mg/LShallotte 49Holly Ridge: 52 mg/LHolly Ridge 52Jacksonville: 52 mg/LJacksonville 52Half Moon: 52 mg/LHalf Moon 52Oak Island: 61 mg/LOak Island 61Carolina Beach: 180 mg/LCarolina Beach 180Wilmington 21mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Hampstead: 27 mg/LHampstead 27Leland: 49 mg/LLeland 49Boiling Spring Lakes: 49 mg/LBoiling Sp. 49St. James: 49 mg/LSt. James 49Oak Island: 61 mg/LOak Island 61Carolina Beach: 180 mg/LCarolina B. 18021 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Wilmington sits close to the typical North Carolina figure of 31 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 27 mg/L in Hampstead to 180 in Carolina Beach.

What 21 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 21 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 Wilmington's water system

Cfpua-Wilmington · PWSID NC0465010

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 212,227 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
4
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 Wilmington water hard?

No. It measures about 21 mg/L (1.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 21 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.2.

Has the Wilmington water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Cfpua-Wilmington since 2016. There were also 4 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, September 23, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.