Old Forge, PA water hardness

Tap water hardness
29mg/L
1.7gpg
Soft

Reported by Paw Nesbitt · March 2025

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

Old Forge water measures 29 mg/L (1.7 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Paw Nesbitt, dated March 2025.

Old Forge on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Duryea: 29 mg/LDuryea 29Pittston: 29 mg/LPittston 29Exeter: 29 mg/LExeter 29Swoyersville: 29 mg/LSwoyersville 29Moosic: 40 mg/LMoosic 40Taylor: 40 mg/LTaylor 40Scranton: 40 mg/LScranton 40Dunmore: 44 mg/LDunmore 44Clarks Summit: 44 mg/LClarks Summit 44Dickson City: 44 mg/LDickson City 44Old Forge 29mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Duryea: 29 mg/LDuryea 29Pittston: 29 mg/LPittston 29Exeter: 29 mg/LExeter 29Moosic: 40 mg/LMoosic 40Taylor: 40 mg/LTaylor 40Scranton: 40 mg/LScranton 4029 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 29 mg/L, Old Forge is 98 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 29 mg/L in Duryea to 44 in Dunmore.

What 29 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 29 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 Old Forge's water system

Paw Nesbitt · PWSID PA2409010

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 52,640 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

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

No. It measures about 29 mg/L (1.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Old Forge in grains per gallon?

About 1.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 29 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.7.

Has the Old Forge water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Paw Nesbitt since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 172 cities in Pennsylvania

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 25, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.