How hard is the water in Jefferson Hills, PA?
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
Jefferson Hills 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.
At 102 mg/L, Jefferson Hills is 25 mg/L below the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water.
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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,341 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.
EPA record for Jefferson Hills's water system
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 Jefferson Hills to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Jefferson Hills, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection | 1 | 2017 | 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 Jefferson Hills 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 Jefferson Hills 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 Jefferson Hills?
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 Jefferson Hills 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
- Pleasant Hills102 mg/LModerately hard
- Clairton102 mg/LModerately hard
- West Mifflin102 mg/LModerately hard
- Whitehall102 mg/LModerately hard
- Brentwood102 mg/LModerately hard
- Baldwin102 mg/LModerately hard
- Castle Shannon102 mg/LModerately hard
- Munhall102 mg/LModerately hard
- Duquesne102 mg/LModerately hard
- Dormont102 mg/LModerately hard
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.