How hard is the water in Clairton, PA?

Tap water hardness
102mg/L
6.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by PA Amer Water CO-Pittsburgh · October 2025

PA typical
127 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Clairton water measures 102 mg/L (6.0 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from PA Amer Water CO-Pittsburgh, dated October 2025.

Clairton on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Swissvale: 90 mg/LSwissvale 90Jefferson Hills: 102 mg/LJefferson Hills 102West Mifflin: 102 mg/LWest Mifflin 102Pleasant Hills: 102 mg/LPleasant Hills 102Duquesne: 102 mg/LDuquesne 102Baldwin: 102 mg/LBaldwin 102Munhall: 102 mg/LMunhall 102Whitehall: 102 mg/LWhitehall 102Brentwood: 102 mg/LBrentwood 102Castle Shannon: 102 mg/LCastle Shannon 102Clairton 102mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Jefferson Hills: 102 mg/LJefferson. 102West Mifflin: 102 mg/LWest Miffl. 102Pleasant Hills: 102 mg/LPleasant H. 102Duquesne: 102 mg/LDuquesne 102Baldwin: 102 mg/LBaldwin 102Munhall: 102 mg/LMunhall 102102 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Clairton sits 25 mg/L below the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 90 mg/L in Swissvale to 102 in Jefferson Hills.

What 102 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 Clairton

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,341 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Clairton's water system

PA Amer Water CO-Pittsburgh · PWSID PA5020039

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 686,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Clairton to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Clairton, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection12017Resolved

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 Clairton water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 102 mg/L (6.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 102 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.0.

What size water softener do I need in Clairton?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.0 gpg works out to about 1,341 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Clairton water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for PA Amer Water CO-Pittsburgh since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule. There were also 2 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, October 1, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.