Portland, OR water hardness

Tap water hardness
20mg/L
1.1gpg
Soft

Reported by Portland Water Bureau · October 2025

OR typical
24 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

The water in Portland carries roughly 20 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.1 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Portland Water Bureau, dated October 2025.

Portland on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+OR typical 24West Haven-Sylvan: 21 mg/LWest Haven-Sylvan 21Cedar Mill: 23 mg/LCedar Mill 23Garden Home-Whitford: 23 mg/LGarden Home-Whitford 23Oak Grove: 23 mg/LOak Grove 23Lake Oswego: 26 mg/LLake Oswego 26Raleigh Hills: 35 mg/LRaleigh Hills 35West Slope: 35 mg/LWest Slope 35Cedar Hills: 35 mg/LCedar Hills 35Marlene Village: 35 mg/LMarlene Village 35Milwaukie: 120 mg/LMilwaukie 120Portland 20mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+OR 24West Haven-Sylvan: 21 mg/LWest Haven. 21Cedar Mill: 23 mg/LCedar Mill 23Garden Home-Whitford: 23 mg/LGarden Hom. 23Raleigh Hills: 35 mg/LRaleigh Hi. 35West Slope: 35 mg/LWest Slope 35Milwaukie: 120 mg/LMilwaukie 12020 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 20 mg/L, Portland is close to the typical Oregon figure of 24 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 21 mg/L in West Haven-Sylvan to 120 in Milwaukie.

What 20 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 20 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 Portland's water system

Portland Water Bureau · PWSID OR4100657

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 666,200 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
1
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)filtration and disinfection120171 open

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 Portland water hard?

No. It measures about 20 mg/L (1.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 20 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.1.

Has the Portland water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Portland Water Bureau since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2). There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 53 cities in Oregon

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 6, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.