How hard is the water in Sherwood, OR?

Tap water hardness
77mg/L
4.5gpg
Moderately hardCounty estimate

County estimate from 999 water samples in Washington County · July 2026

OR typical
24 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Sherwood put hardness at about 77 mg/L (4.5 gpg), which would be moderately hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 999 samples taken across Washington County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Sherwood's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Sherwood's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Sherwood on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+OR typical 24Bull Mountain: 22 mg/LBull Mountain 22Tigard: 22 mg/LTigard 22Garden Home-Whitford: 23 mg/LGarden Home-Whitford 23Aloha: 23 mg/LAloha 23Wilsonville: 24 mg/LWilsonville 24Lake Oswego: 26 mg/LLake Oswego 26Beaverton: 35 mg/LBeaverton 35Raleigh Hills: 35 mg/LRaleigh Hills 35Newberg: 54 mg/LNewberg 54Tualatin: 77 mg/LTualatin 77Sherwood 77mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+OR 24Bull Mountain: 22 mg/LBull Mount. 22Tigard: 22 mg/LTigard 22Wilsonville: 24 mg/LWilsonville 24Lake Oswego: 26 mg/LLake Oswego 26Newberg: 54 mg/LNewberg 54Tualatin: 77 mg/LTualatin 7777 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 77 mg/L, Sherwood is 53 mg/L above the typical Oregon figure of 24. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 22 mg/L in Bull Mountain to 77 in Tualatin.

What 77 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 Sherwood

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.5 gpg = 1,012 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 23 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Sherwood's water system

Sherwood, City of · PWSID OR4100816

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 20,781 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Sherwood.

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 Sherwood water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 77 mg/L (4.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 77 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.5.

What size water softener do I need in Sherwood?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.5 gpg works out to about 1,012 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 23 days.

Has the Sherwood water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Sherwood, City of since 2016. There were also 3 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 53 cities in Oregon

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.