Johnson City, TN water hardness
Reported by Johnson City Water Dept · September 2025
- TN typical
- 89 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Johnson City carries roughly 60 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.5 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Johnson City Water Dept, dated September 2025.
At 60 mg/L, Johnson City is 29 mg/L below the typical Tennessee figure of 89. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 37 mg/L in Alcoa to 260 in Morristown.
What 60 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 60 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 Johnson City's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 105,057 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 5
- Open now
- 1
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 Johnson City water hard?
No. It measures about 60 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.
What is the water hardness in Johnson City in grains per gallon?
About 3.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 60 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.5.
Has the Johnson City water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Johnson City Water Dept since 2016. There were also 5 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Kingsport106 mg/LModerately hard
- Bristol88 mg/LModerately hard
- Bloomingdale106 mg/LModerately hard
- Morristown260 mg/LVery hard
- Knoxville91 mg/LModerately hard
- Powell99 mg/LModerately hard
- Eagleton Village46 mg/LSoft
- Alcoa37 mg/LSoft
- Maryville42 mg/LSoft
- Oak Ridge132 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 29, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.