How hard is the water in McKees Rocks, PA?

Tap water hardness
82mg/L
4.8gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by West View Water Authority · September 2025

PA typical
127 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in McKees Rocks has about 82 mg/L of hardness, which is 4.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from West View Water Authority, dated September 2025.

McKees Rocks on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Bellevue: 82 mg/LBellevue 82West View: 82 mg/LWest View 82Glenshaw: 88 mg/LGlenshaw 88Pittsburgh: 100 mg/LPittsburgh 100Crafton: 102 mg/LCrafton 102Carnegie: 102 mg/LCarnegie 102Dormont: 102 mg/LDormont 102Castle Shannon: 102 mg/LCastle Shannon 102Brentwood: 102 mg/LBrentwood 102Whitehall: 102 mg/LWhitehall 102McKees Rocks 82mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Bellevue: 82 mg/LBellevue 82West View: 82 mg/LWest View 82Pittsburgh: 100 mg/LPittsburgh 100Crafton: 102 mg/LCrafton 102Carnegie: 102 mg/LCarnegie 102Dormont: 102 mg/LDormont 10282 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

McKees Rocks sits 45 mg/L below the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 82 mg/L in Bellevue to 102 in Crafton.

What 82 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 McKees Rocks

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.8 gpg = 1,076 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 22 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for McKees Rocks's water system

West View Water Authority · PWSID PA5020043

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 200,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
14
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties McKees Rocks to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name McKees Rocks, 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 disinfection22018Resolved

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 McKees Rocks water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 82 mg/L (4.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in McKees Rocks in grains per gallon?

About 4.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 82 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.8.

What size water softener do I need in McKees Rocks?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.8 gpg works out to about 1,076 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 22 days.

Has the McKees Rocks water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for West View Water Authority since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule. There were also 14 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, September 16, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.