Northampton, PA water hardness

Tap water hardness
57mg/L
3.3gpg
Soft

Reported by Northampton Boro Muni Auth · December 2024

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

The water in Northampton carries roughly 57 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.3 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Northampton Boro Muni Auth, dated December 2024.

Northampton on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Nazareth: 20 mg/LNazareth 20Wilson: 50 mg/LWilson 50Bethlehem: 63 mg/LBethlehem 63Hellertown: 63 mg/LHellertown 63Fullerton: 158 mg/LFullerton 158Emmaus: 191 mg/LEmmaus 191Dorneyville: 192 mg/LDorneyville 192Wescosville: 240 mg/LWescosville 240Ancient Oaks: 240 mg/LAncient Oaks 240Breinigsville: 240 mg/LBreinigsville 240Northampton 57mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Nazareth: 20 mg/LNazareth 20Bethlehem: 63 mg/LBethlehem 63Fullerton: 158 mg/LFullerton 158Emmaus: 191 mg/LEmmaus 191Dorneyville: 192 mg/LDorneyville 192Wescosville: 240 mg/LWescosville 24057 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 57 mg/L, Northampton is 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 20 mg/L in Nazareth to 240 in Wescosville.

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 Northampton's water system

Northampton Boro Muni Auth · PWSID PA3480057

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 40,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
4
Open now
0

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 Northampton water hard?

No. It measures about 57 mg/L (3.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 57 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.3.

Has the Northampton water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Northampton Boro Muni Auth since 2016. There were also 4 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, December 2, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.