How hard is the water in Allison Park, PA?
Reported by West View Water Authority · September 2025
- PA typical
- 127 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 2
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Allison Park carries roughly 88 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.1 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from West View Water Authority, dated September 2025.
At 88 mg/L, Allison Park is 39 mg/L below the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 82 mg/L in West View to 102 in Fox Chapel.
What 88 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.1 gpg = 1,154 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.
EPA record for Allison Park's water system
2 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 200,000 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 2
- Monitoring or reporting
- 14
- Open now
- 0
TapWaterData ties Allison Park to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Allison Park, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection | 2 | 2018 | Resolved |
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 Allison Park water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 88 mg/L (5.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in Allison Park in grains per gallon?
About 5.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 88 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.1.
What size water softener do I need in Allison Park?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.1 gpg works out to about 1,154 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.
Has the Allison Park water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 2 health-based violations for West View Water Authority since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule. There were also 14 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Glenshaw88 mg/LModerately hard
- Fox Chapel102 mg/LModerately hard
- West View82 mg/LModerately hard
- Franklin Park82 mg/LModerately hard
- Bellevue82 mg/LModerately hard
- Oakmont90 mg/LModerately hard
- McKees Rocks82 mg/LModerately hard
- Pittsburgh100 mg/LModerately hard
- Wilkinsburg90 mg/LModerately hard
- Swissvale90 mg/LModerately hard
All 172 cities in Pennsylvania
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 16, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.