Forest Acres, SC water hardness

Tap water hardness
37mg/L
2.2gpg
Soft

Reported by Columbia City of (Sc4010001) · September 2025

SC typical
32 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Data
Utility report

The water in Forest Acres carries roughly 37 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.2 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Columbia City of (Sc4010001), dated September 2025.

Forest Acres on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+SC typical 32Lexington: 15 mg/LLexington 15Woodfield: 37 mg/LWoodfield 37Dentsville: 37 mg/LDentsville 37Columbia: 37 mg/LColumbia 37Cayce: 37 mg/LCayce 37St. Andrews: 37 mg/LSt. Andrews 37West Columbia: 37 mg/LWest Columbia 37Seven Oaks: 37 mg/LSeven Oaks 37Blythewood: 37 mg/LBlythewood 37Irmo: 37 mg/LIrmo 37Forest Acres 37mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+SC 32Woodfield: 37 mg/LWoodfield 37Dentsville: 37 mg/LDentsville 37Columbia: 37 mg/LColumbia 37Cayce: 37 mg/LCayce 37St. Andrews: 37 mg/LSt. Andrews 37West Columbia: 37 mg/LWest Colum. 3737 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 37 mg/L, Forest Acres is close to the typical South Carolina figure of 32 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 15 mg/L in Lexington to 37 in Woodfield.

What 37 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 37 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 Forest Acres's water system

Columbia City of (Sc4010001) · PWSID SC4010001

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 354,068 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Forest Acres to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Forest Acres, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026ChloriteTotal Coliform Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26ChloriteTotal Coliform Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Chlorite12024Resolved
Total Coliform Rulebacteria12021Resolved

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 Forest Acres water hard?

No. It measures about 37 mg/L (2.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Forest Acres in grains per gallon?

About 2.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 37 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.2.

Has the Forest Acres water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Columbia City of (Sc4010001) since 2016, involving Chlorite, Total Coliform Rule. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 58 cities in South Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 15, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.