Aiken, SC water hardness

Tap water hardness
32mg/L
1.9gpg
Soft

Reported by Aiken City of (0210001) · August 2025

SC typical
32 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
7
Data
Utility report

The water in Aiken carries roughly 32 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 1.9 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Aiken City of (0210001), dated August 2025.

Aiken on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+SC typical 32Lexington: 15 mg/LLexington 15Greenwood: 19 mg/LGreenwood 19West Columbia: 37 mg/LWest Columbia 37Lake Murray of Richland: 37 mg/LLake Murray of Richland 37Cayce: 37 mg/LCayce 37Seven Oaks: 37 mg/LSeven Oaks 37Irmo: 37 mg/LIrmo 37St. Andrews: 37 mg/LSt. Andrews 37Forest Acres: 37 mg/LForest Acres 37Dentsville: 37 mg/LDentsville 37Aiken 32mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+SC 32Lexington: 15 mg/LLexington 15West Columbia: 37 mg/LWest Colum. 37Lake Murray of Richland: 37 mg/LLake Murra. 37Cayce: 37 mg/LCayce 37Seven Oaks: 37 mg/LSeven Oaks 37Irmo: 37 mg/LIrmo 3732 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Aiken sits close to the typical South Carolina figure of 32 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 15 mg/L in Lexington to 37 in West Columbia.

What 32 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 32 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 Aiken's water system

Aiken City of (Sc0210001) · PWSID SC0210001

7 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 51,533 people from surface water.

Health-based
7
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Disinfection byproducts rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Disinfection byproducts rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Disinfection byproducts ruletreatment requirement72021Resolved

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 Aiken water hard?

No. It measures about 32 mg/L (1.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 32 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.9.

Has the Aiken water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 7 health-based violations for Aiken City of (Sc0210001) since 2016, involving Disinfection byproducts rule.

Nearby cities

All 58 cities in South Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 18, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.