Spartanburg, SC water hardness

Tap water hardness
16mg/L
0.9gpg
Soft

Reported by Spartanburg Water System (4210001) · September 2024

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

Spartanburg water measures 16 mg/L (0.9 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Spartanburg Water System (4210001), dated September 2024.

Spartanburg on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+SC typical 32Five Forks: 8 mg/LFive Forks 8Taylors: 8 mg/LTaylors 8Fountain Inn: 8 mg/LFountain Inn 8Wade Hampton: 8 mg/LWade Hampton 8Simpsonville: 8 mg/LSimpsonville 8Mauldin: 8 mg/LMauldin 8Greenville: 8 mg/LGreenville 8Sans Souci: 8 mg/LSans Souci 8Greer: 12 mg/LGreer 12Gaffney: 21 mg/LGaffney 21Spartanburg 16mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+SC 32Five Forks: 8 mg/LFive Forks 8Taylors: 8 mg/LTaylors 8Fountain Inn: 8 mg/LFountain I. 8Wade Hampton: 8 mg/LWade Hampt. 8Greer: 12 mg/LGreer 12Gaffney: 21 mg/LGaffney 2116 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Spartanburg sits 16 mg/L below the typical South Carolina figure of 32. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 8 mg/L in Five Forks to 21 in Gaffney.

What 16 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 16 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 Spartanburg's water system

Spartanburg Water System (Sc4210001) · PWSID SC4210001

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 166,364 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling22020–2021Resolved

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 Spartanburg water hard?

No. It measures about 16 mg/L (0.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 0.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 16 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.9.

Has the Spartanburg water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Spartanburg Water System (Sc4210001) since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule.

Nearby cities

All 58 cities in South Carolina

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 12, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.