How hard is the water in Kingsport, TN?

Tap water hardness
106mg/L
6.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Kingsport Water Dept · September 2025

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

The water in Kingsport carries roughly 106 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.2 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Kingsport Water Dept, dated September 2025.

Kingsport 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 60Bristol: 88 mg/LBristol 88Knoxville: 91 mg/LKnoxville 91Powell: 99 mg/LPowell 99Bloomingdale: 106 mg/LBloomingdale 106Oak Ridge: 132 mg/LOak Ridge 132Morristown: 260 mg/LMorristown 260Kingsport 106mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TN 89Johnson City: 60 mg/LJohnson Ci. 60Bristol: 88 mg/LBristol 88Knoxville: 91 mg/LKnoxville 91Powell: 99 mg/LPowell 99Bloomingdale: 106 mg/LBloomingda. 106Morristown: 260 mg/LMorristown 260106 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 106 mg/L, Kingsport is 17 mg/L above the typical Tennessee figure of 89. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 37 mg/L in Alcoa to 260 in Morristown.

What 106 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 Kingsport

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.2 gpg = 1,395 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Kingsport's water system

Kingsport Water Dept · PWSID TN0000349

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 107,739 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
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 Kingsport water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 106 mg/L (6.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 106 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.2.

What size water softener do I need in Kingsport?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.2 gpg works out to about 1,395 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Kingsport water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Kingsport Water Dept since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 44 cities in Tennessee

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 26, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.