How hard is the water in Bethlehem, PA?

Tap water hardness
63mg/L
3.7gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by City of Bethlehem · September 2025

PA typical
127 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Bethlehem water measures 63 mg/L (3.7 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from City of Bethlehem, dated September 2025.

Bethlehem on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Nazareth: 20 mg/LNazareth 20Wilson: 50 mg/LWilson 50Easton: 50 mg/LEaston 50Chestnut Hill: 50 mg/LChestnut Hill 50Northampton: 57 mg/LNorthampton 57Hellertown: 63 mg/LHellertown 63Fullerton: 158 mg/LFullerton 158Emmaus: 191 mg/LEmmaus 191Dorneyville: 192 mg/LDorneyville 192Wescosville: 240 mg/LWescosville 240Bethlehem 63mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Nazareth: 20 mg/LNazareth 20Wilson: 50 mg/LWilson 50Northampton: 57 mg/LNorthampton 57Hellertown: 63 mg/LHellertown 63Fullerton: 158 mg/LFullerton 158Dorneyville: 192 mg/LDorneyville 19263 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Bethlehem sits 64 mg/L below the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 20 mg/L in Nazareth to 240 in Wescosville.

What 63 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 Bethlehem

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.7 gpg = 835 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 28 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Bethlehem's water system

City of Bethlehem · PWSID PA3480046

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 117,259 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
45
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 Bethlehem water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 63 mg/L (3.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 63 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.7.

What size water softener do I need in Bethlehem?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.7 gpg works out to about 835 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 28 days.

Has the Bethlehem water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for City of Bethlehem since 2016. There were also 45 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 172 cities in Pennsylvania

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 23, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.