How hard is the water in Bristol, TN?

Tap water hardness
88mg/L
5.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Bvu Authority · June 2025

TN typical
89 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Bristol carries roughly 88 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.2 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Bvu Authority, dated June 2025.

Bristol on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TN typical 89Alcoa: 37 mg/LAlcoa 37Maryville: 42 mg/LMaryville 42Eagleton Village: 46 mg/LEagleton Village 46Johnson City: 60 mg/LJohnson City 60Knoxville: 91 mg/LKnoxville 91Powell: 99 mg/LPowell 99Bloomingdale: 106 mg/LBloomingdale 106Kingsport: 106 mg/LKingsport 106Oak Ridge: 132 mg/LOak Ridge 132Morristown: 260 mg/LMorristown 260Bristol 88mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TN 89Johnson City: 60 mg/LJohnson Ci. 60Knoxville: 91 mg/LKnoxville 91Powell: 99 mg/LPowell 99Bloomingdale: 106 mg/LBloomingda. 106Kingsport: 106 mg/LKingsport 106Morristown: 260 mg/LMorristown 26088 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 88 mg/L, Bristol is close to the typical Tennessee figure of 89 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 37 mg/L in Alcoa to 260 in Morristown.

What 88 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

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

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Bristol

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.2 gpg = 1,161 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Bristol's water system

Bvu Authority · PWSID VA1520070

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 20,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

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 Bristol water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 88 mg/L (5.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 88 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.2.

What size water softener do I need in Bristol?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.2 gpg works out to about 1,161 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Bristol water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bvu Authority since 2016. There were also 3 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 44 cities in Tennessee

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 9, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.