How hard is the water in Duquesne, 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
8
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Duquesne has about 102 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from PA Amer Water CO-Pittsburgh, dated October 2025.

Duquesne on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Forest Hills: 90 mg/LForest Hills 90Swissvale: 90 mg/LSwissvale 90Wilkinsburg: 90 mg/LWilkinsburg 90Monroeville: 96 mg/LMonroeville 96Munhall: 102 mg/LMunhall 102West Mifflin: 102 mg/LWest Mifflin 102Baldwin: 102 mg/LBaldwin 102Clairton: 102 mg/LClairton 102Pleasant Hills: 102 mg/LPleasant Hills 102Brentwood: 102 mg/LBrentwood 102Duquesne 102mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Forest Hills: 90 mg/LForest Hil. 90Swissvale: 90 mg/LSwissvale 90Wilkinsburg: 90 mg/LWilkinsburg 90Munhall: 102 mg/LMunhall 102West Mifflin: 102 mg/LWest Miffl. 102Baldwin: 102 mg/LBaldwin 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

At 102 mg/L, Duquesne is 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 Forest Hills to 102 in Munhall.

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 Duquesne

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 Duquesne's water system

Duquesne Water Dept · PWSID PA5020012

8 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 5,565 people from surface water.

Health-based
8
Monitoring or reporting
25
Open now
2

EPA lists Duquesne Water Dept as the system serving Duquesne. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Duquesne.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Groundwater RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Groundwater RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Groundwater Ruletreatment of well water120261 open
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct72016–2024Resolved

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 Duquesne 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 Duquesne 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 Duquesne?

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 Duquesne water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 8 health-based violations for Duquesne Water Dept since 2016, involving Groundwater Rule, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 25 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.