Lexington, SC water hardness

Tap water hardness
15mg/L
0.9gpg
SoftCounty estimate

County estimate from 492 water samples in Lexington County · July 2026

SC typical
32 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Lexington put hardness at about 15 mg/L (0.9 gpg), which would be soft on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 492 samples taken across Lexington County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Lexington's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Lexington's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Lexington on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+SC typical 32Seven Oaks: 37 mg/LSeven Oaks 37West Columbia: 37 mg/LWest Columbia 37Irmo: 37 mg/LIrmo 37St. Andrews: 37 mg/LSt. Andrews 37Lake Murray of Richland: 37 mg/LLake Murray of Richland 37Cayce: 37 mg/LCayce 37Forest Acres: 37 mg/LForest Acres 37Dentsville: 37 mg/LDentsville 37Woodfield: 37 mg/LWoodfield 37Columbia: 37 mg/LColumbia 37Lexington 15mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+SC 32Seven Oaks: 37 mg/LSeven Oaks 37West Columbia: 37 mg/LWest Colum. 37Irmo: 37 mg/LIrmo 37St. Andrews: 37 mg/LSt. Andrews 37Lake Murray of Richland: 37 mg/LLake Murra. 37Cayce: 37 mg/LCayce 3715 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 15 mg/L, Lexington is 17 mg/L below the typical South Carolina figure of 32. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water.

What 15 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 15 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 Lexington's water system

Joint Muni WSC (Sc3220003) · PWSID SC3220003

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 54,868 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Lexington.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Haloacetic acids (HAA5)'16'18'20'22'24'26Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct12016Resolved

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 Lexington water hard?

No. It measures about 15 mg/L (0.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 0.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 15 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.9.

Has the Lexington water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Joint Muni WSC (Sc3220003) since 2016, involving Haloacetic acids (HAA5).

Nearby cities

All 58 cities in South Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.