How hard is the water in Germantown, TN?

Tap water hardness
63mg/L
3.7gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Germantown Water Dept · July 2025

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

Tap water in Germantown has about 63 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.7 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Germantown Water Dept, dated July 2025.

Germantown on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TN typical 89Jackson: 19 mg/LJackson 19Bartlett: 36 mg/LBartlett 36Memphis: 40 mg/LMemphis 40Collierville: 51 mg/LCollierville 51Clarksville: 71 mg/LClarksville 71Ashland City: 89 mg/LAshland City 89Brentwood: 89 mg/LBrentwood 89Franklin: 98 mg/LFranklin 98Columbia: 121 mg/LColumbia 121Spring Hill: 138 mg/LSpring Hill 138Germantown 63mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TN 89Jackson: 19 mg/LJackson 19Bartlett: 36 mg/LBartlett 36Memphis: 40 mg/LMemphis 40Collierville: 51 mg/LColliervil. 51Columbia: 121 mg/LColumbia 121Spring Hill: 138 mg/LSpring Hill 13863 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Germantown sits 26 mg/L below the typical Tennessee figure of 89. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Jackson to 138 in Spring Hill.

What 63 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 Germantown

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.7 gpg = 828 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 28 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Germantown's water system

Germantown Water Dept · PWSID TN0000262

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 37,738 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
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 Germantown water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 63 mg/L (3.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 63 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.7.

What size water softener do I need in Germantown?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.7 gpg works out to about 828 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 28 days.

Has the Germantown water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Germantown Water Dept since 2016. There were also 2 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, July 1, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.