Providence, RI water hardness

Tap water hardness
42mg/L
2.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Providence-City of · October 2025

RI typical
42 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

The water in Providence carries roughly 42 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.5 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Providence-City of, dated October 2025.

Providence on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+RI typical 42Tiverton: 7 mg/LTiverton 7Central Falls: 23 mg/LCentral Falls 23Cranston: 23 mg/LCranston 23Woonsocket: 23 mg/LWoonsocket 23Warwick: 42 mg/LWarwick 42Newport East: 42 mg/LNewport East 42Newport: 42 mg/LNewport 42Kingston: 44 mg/LKingston 44Wakefield-Peace Dale: 44 mg/LWakefield-Peace Dale 44East Providence: 50 mg/LEast Providence 50Providence 42mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+RI 42Tiverton: 7 mg/LTiverton 7Central Falls: 23 mg/LCentral Fa. 23Cranston: 23 mg/LCranston 23Woonsocket: 23 mg/LWoonsocket 23Warwick: 42 mg/LWarwick 42East Providence: 50 mg/LEast Provi. 5042 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 42 mg/L, Providence is close to the typical Rhode Island figure of 42 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 7 mg/L in Tiverton to 50 in East Providence.

What 42 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 42 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 Providence's water system

Providence-City of · PWSID RI1592024

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 333,142 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
7
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct12018Resolved

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 Providence water hard?

No. It measures about 42 mg/L (2.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 42 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.5.

Has the Providence water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Providence-City of since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 7 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 12 cities in Rhode Island

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 8, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.