How hard is the water in Fox Chapel, PA?

Tap water hardness
102mg/L
6.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Hampton Shaler Water Authority · June 2025

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

Fox Chapel water measures 102 mg/L (6.0 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Hampton Shaler Water Authority, dated June 2025.

Fox Chapel on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Plum: 66 mg/LPlum 66West View: 82 mg/LWest View 82Bellevue: 82 mg/LBellevue 82Glenshaw: 88 mg/LGlenshaw 88Allison Park: 88 mg/LAllison Park 88Oakmont: 90 mg/LOakmont 90Wilkinsburg: 90 mg/LWilkinsburg 90Forest Hills: 90 mg/LForest Hills 90Swissvale: 90 mg/LSwissvale 90Pittsburgh: 100 mg/LPittsburgh 100Fox Chapel 102mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Glenshaw: 88 mg/LGlenshaw 88Allison Park: 88 mg/LAllison Pa. 88Oakmont: 90 mg/LOakmont 90Wilkinsburg: 90 mg/LWilkinsburg 90Forest Hills: 90 mg/LForest Hil. 90Swissvale: 90 mg/LSwissvale 90102 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Fox Chapel 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 66 mg/L in Plum to 100 in Pittsburgh.

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 Fox Chapel

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,346 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Fox Chapel's water system

Hampton Shaler Water Authority · PWSID PA5020019

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 61,949 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
4
Open now
0

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

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 Fox Chapel 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 Fox Chapel 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 Fox Chapel?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.0 gpg works out to about 1,346 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Fox Chapel water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Hampton Shaler Water Authority since 2016. There were also 4 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, June 9, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.