How hard is the water in Woodburn, OR?

Tap water hardness
84mg/L
4.9gpg
Moderately hardCounty estimate

County estimate from 1,004 water samples in Marion 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 Woodburn put hardness at about 84 mg/L (4.9 gpg), which would be moderately hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 1,004 samples taken across Marion County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Woodburn's treated tap water.

Woodburn on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+OR typical 24Hayesville: 16 mg/LHayesville 16Four Corners: 16 mg/LFour Corners 16Salem: 16 mg/LSalem 16Bull Mountain: 22 mg/LBull Mountain 22West Linn: 23 mg/LWest Linn 23Wilsonville: 24 mg/LWilsonville 24Newberg: 54 mg/LNewberg 54Sherwood: 77 mg/LSherwood 77Tualatin: 77 mg/LTualatin 77Keizer: 95 mg/LKeizer 95Woodburn 84mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+OR 24Hayesville: 16 mg/LHayesville 16Four Corners: 16 mg/LFour Corne. 16Wilsonville: 24 mg/LWilsonville 24Newberg: 54 mg/LNewberg 54Sherwood: 77 mg/LSherwood 77Keizer: 95 mg/LKeizer 9584 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 84 mg/L, Woodburn is 60 mg/L above the typical Oregon figure of 24. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 16 mg/L in Hayesville to 95 in Keizer.

What 84 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 Woodburn

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.9 gpg = 1,112 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 21 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Woodburn's water system

Woodburn, City of · PWSID OR4100959

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 29,455 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
6
Open now
2

EPA lists this system as serving Woodburn.

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 Woodburn water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 84 mg/L (4.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 84 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.9.

What size water softener do I need in Woodburn?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.9 gpg works out to about 1,112 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 21 days.

Has the Woodburn water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Woodburn, City of since 2016. There were also 6 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.