Winston-Salem, NC water hardness

Tap water hardness
24mg/L
1.4gpg
Soft

Reported by Winston-Salem, City of · September 2025

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

The water in Winston-Salem carries roughly 24 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.4 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Winston-Salem, City of, dated September 2025.

Winston-Salem on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+NC typical 31Walkertown: 24 mg/LWalkertown 24Clemmons: 24 mg/LClemmons 24Midway: 24 mg/LMidway 24Lewisville: 24 mg/LLewisville 24Kernersville: 24 mg/LKernersville 24Thomasville: 24 mg/LThomasville 24Trinity: 24 mg/LTrinity 24Lexington: 24 mg/LLexington 24High Point: 32 mg/LHigh Point 32Greensboro: 36 mg/LGreensboro 36Winston-Salem 24mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+NC 31Walkertown: 24 mg/LWalkertown 24Clemmons: 24 mg/LClemmons 24Midway: 24 mg/LMidway 24Lewisville: 24 mg/LLewisville 24Kernersville: 24 mg/LKernersvil. 24High Point: 32 mg/LHigh Point 3224 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 24 mg/L, Winston-Salem is 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 24 mg/L in Walkertown to 36 in Greensboro.

What 24 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 24 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 Winston-Salem's water system

Winston-Salem, City of · PWSID NC0234010

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 391,900 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
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 Winston-Salem water hard?

No. It measures about 24 mg/L (1.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Winston-Salem in grains per gallon?

About 1.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 24 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.4.

Has the Winston-Salem water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Winston-Salem, 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 (utility report, September 29, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.