How hard is the water in Richboro, PA?

Tap water hardness
109mg/L
6.4gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Northampton Bucks CO Mun Auth · February 2025

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

Richboro water measures 109 mg/L (6.4 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Northampton Bucks CO Mun Auth, dated February 2025.

Richboro on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+PA typical 127Maple Glen: 75 mg/LMaple Glen 75Levittown: 96 mg/LLevittown 96Newtown Grant: 97 mg/LNewtown Grant 97Churchville: 109 mg/LChurchville 109Morrisville: 110 mg/LMorrisville 110Horsham: 143 mg/LHorsham 143Doylestown: 145 mg/LDoylestown 145Willow Grove: 153 mg/LWillow Grove 153Roslyn: 153 mg/LRoslyn 153Hatboro: 173 mg/LHatboro 173Richboro 109mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+PA 127Levittown: 96 mg/LLevittown 96Newtown Grant: 97 mg/LNewtown Gr. 97Churchville: 109 mg/LChurchville 109Horsham: 143 mg/LHorsham 143Willow Grove: 153 mg/LWillow Gro. 153Hatboro: 173 mg/LHatboro 173109 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 109 mg/L, Richboro is 18 mg/L below the typical Pennsylvania figure of 127. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 75 mg/L in Maple Glen to 173 in Hatboro.

What 109 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 Richboro

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.4 gpg = 1,433 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Richboro's water system

Northampton Bucks CO Mun Auth · PWSID PA1090089

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 36,750 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
179
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total Coliform RuleSurface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Total Coliform RuleSurface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total Coliform Rulebacteria12020Resolved
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection12017Resolved

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 Richboro water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 109 mg/L (6.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 109 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.4.

What size water softener do I need in Richboro?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.4 gpg works out to about 1,433 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Richboro water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Northampton Bucks CO Mun Auth since 2016, involving Total Coliform Rule, Surface Water Treatment Rule. There were also 179 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, February 3, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.