Hard water in Horsham, PA
Reported by Horsham Water&sewer Authority · August 2025
- PA typical
- 127 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Horsham carries roughly 143 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 8.3 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from Horsham Water&sewer Authority, dated August 2025.
Horsham sits 16 mg/L above the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 57 mg/L in Montgomeryville to 183 in Ambler.
What 143 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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
At 143 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.
Ion-exchange water softener
The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.
Salt-free conditioner
No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.
Reverse osmosis or carbon filter
Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 8.3 gpg = 1,879 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 12 days.
EPA record for Horsham's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 26,000 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 174
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groundwater Ruletreatment of well water | 1 | 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 Horsham water hard?
Yes. It measures about 143 mg/L (8.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Horsham in grains per gallon?
About 8.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 143 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.3.
What size water softener do I need in Horsham?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.3 gpg works out to about 1,879 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 12 days.
Has the Horsham water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Horsham Water&sewer Authority since 2016, involving Groundwater Rule. There were also 174 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Hatboro173 mg/LHard
- Maple Glen75 mg/LModerately hard
- Willow Grove153 mg/LHard
- Roslyn153 mg/LHard
- Fort Washington146 mg/LHard
- Spring House84 mg/LModerately hard
- Ambler183 mg/LVery hard
- Oreland153 mg/LHard
- Glenside153 mg/LHard
- Montgomeryville57 mg/LSoft
All 172 cities in Pennsylvania
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 5, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.