Hard water in Merion Station, PA

Tap water hardness
153mg/L
8.9gpg
Hard

Reported by Aqua PA Main System · October 2025

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

Tap water in Merion Station has about 153 mg/L of hardness, which is 8.9 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Aqua PA Main System, dated October 2025.

Merion Station on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Bala Cynwyd: 153 mg/LBala Cynwyd 153Penn Wynne: 153 mg/LPenn Wynne 153Ardmore: 153 mg/LArdmore 153Bryn Mawr: 153 mg/LBryn Mawr 153Lansdowne: 153 mg/LLansdowne 153Drexel Hill: 153 mg/LDrexel Hill 153Yeadon: 153 mg/LYeadon 153Villanova: 153 mg/LVillanova 153Clifton Heights: 153 mg/LClifton Heights 153Darby: 153 mg/LDarby 153Merion Station 153mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Bala Cynwyd: 153 mg/LBala Cynwyd 153Penn Wynne: 153 mg/LPenn Wynne 153Ardmore: 153 mg/LArdmore 153Bryn Mawr: 153 mg/LBryn Mawr 153Lansdowne: 153 mg/LLansdowne 153Drexel Hill: 153 mg/LDrexel Hill 153153 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 153 mg/L, Merion Station is 26 mg/L above the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water.

What 153 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 153 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.

Softener size for Merion Station

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 8.9 gpg = 2,014 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 11 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Merion Station's water system

Aqua PA Main System · PWSID PA1460073

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 822,600 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
44
Open now
0

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

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Groundwater RuleTotal Coliform Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Groundwater RuleTotal Coliform Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Groundwater Ruletreatment of well water12024Resolved
Total Coliform Rulebacteria12017Resolved

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 Merion Station water hard?

Yes. It measures about 153 mg/L (8.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.

What is the water hardness in Merion Station in grains per gallon?

About 8.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 153 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.9.

What size water softener do I need in Merion Station?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.9 gpg works out to about 2,014 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 11 days.

Has the Merion Station water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Aqua PA Main System since 2016, involving Groundwater Rule, Total Coliform Rule. There were also 44 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 14, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.