North Charleston, SC water hardness

Tap water hardness
53mg/L
3.1gpg
Soft

Reported by Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002) · September 2025

SC typical
32 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

North Charleston water measures 53 mg/L (3.1 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002), dated September 2025.

North Charleston on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+SC typical 32Moncks Corner: 20 mg/LMoncks Corner 20Summerville: 26 mg/LSummerville 26Beaufort: 41 mg/LBeaufort 41Port Royal: 43 mg/LPort Royal 43Goose Creek: 46 mg/LGoose Creek 46Hanahan: 51 mg/LHanahan 51Charleston: 57 mg/LCharleston 57James Island: 58 mg/LJames Island 58Mount Pleasant: 59 mg/LMount Pleasant 59Hilton Head Island: 98 mg/LHilton Head Island 98North Charleston 53mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+SC 32Summerville: 26 mg/LSummerville 26Goose Creek: 46 mg/LGoose Creek 46Hanahan: 51 mg/LHanahan 51Charleston: 57 mg/LCharleston 57James Island: 58 mg/LJames Isla. 58Mount Pleasant: 59 mg/LMount Plea. 5953 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

North Charleston sits 21 mg/L above the typical South Carolina figure of 32. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 20 mg/L in Moncks Corner to 98 in Hilton Head Island.

What 53 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 53 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 North Charleston's water system

Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002) · PWSID SC0820002

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 95,345 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

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

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 North Charleston water hard?

No. It measures about 53 mg/L (3.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in North Charleston in grains per gallon?

About 3.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 53 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.1.

Has the North Charleston water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bcwsa Sangaree W/D (0820002) since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 58 cities in South Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 22, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.