Middletown, PA water hardness

Tap water hardness
57mg/L
3.4gpg
SoftReports range 46–57

Reported by City of Bethlehem · September 2025

PA typical
127 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

The water in Middletown carries roughly 57 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.4 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from City of Bethlehem, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 46 to 57 mg/L.

Middletown on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Progress: 30 mg/LProgress 30Harrisburg: 40 mg/LHarrisburg 40Shiloh: 83 mg/LShiloh 83Mount Joy: 93 mg/LMount Joy 93Mechanicsburg: 120 mg/LMechanicsburg 120New Cumberland: 128 mg/LNew Cumberland 128Lower Allen: 128 mg/LLower Allen 128Camp Hill: 128 mg/LCamp Hill 128Enola: 128 mg/LEnola 128Elizabethtown: 255 mg/LElizabethtown 255Middletown 57mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Progress: 30 mg/LProgress 30Harrisburg: 40 mg/LHarrisburg 40New Cumberland: 128 mg/LNew Cumber. 128Lower Allen: 128 mg/LLower Allen 128Camp Hill: 128 mg/LCamp Hill 128Elizabethtown: 255 mg/LElizabetht. 25557 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Middletown sits 70 mg/L below the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 30 mg/L in Progress to 255 in Elizabethtown.

What 57 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 57 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Middletown's water system

City of Bethlehem · PWSID PA3480046

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 117,259 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
45
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Middletown to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Middletown, 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 Middletown water hard?

No. It measures about 57 mg/L (3.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Middletown in grains per gallon?

About 3.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 57 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.4.

Has the Middletown water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for City of Bethlehem since 2016. There were also 45 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 23, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.