Carthage, TX water hardness

Tap water hardness
57mg/L
3.3gpg
Soft

Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · June 2022

TX typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
10
Data
Calculated from utility data

Tap water in Carthage has about 57 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.3 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (June 2022).

Carthage on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Whitehouse: 3 mg/LWhitehouse 3Rusk: 3 mg/LRusk 3Henderson: 8 mg/LHenderson 8Gladewater: 9 mg/LGladewater 9Marshall: 13 mg/LMarshall 13Gilmer: 16 mg/LGilmer 16Kilgore: 18 mg/LKilgore 18Nacogdoches: 24 mg/LNacogdoches 24White Oak: 25 mg/LWhite Oak 25Longview: 41 mg/LLongview 41Carthage 57mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Henderson: 8 mg/LHenderson 8Marshall: 13 mg/LMarshall 13Kilgore: 18 mg/LKilgore 18Nacogdoches: 24 mg/LNacogdoches 24White Oak: 25 mg/LWhite Oak 25Longview: 41 mg/LLongview 4157 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Carthage sits 55 mg/L below the typical Texas figure of 112. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 3 mg/L in Whitehouse to 41 in Longview.

What 57 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 57 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 Carthage's water system

City of Carthage · PWSID TX1830001

10 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 6,770 people from surface water.

Health-based
10
Monitoring or reporting
12
Open now
4

EPA lists this system as serving Carthage.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Lead and Copper RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)Total Coliform Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Lead and Copper RuleTotal trihalomethanes (TTHM)Total Coliform Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct62023–2025Resolved
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling12024Resolved
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct22016–2023Resolved
Total Coliform Rulebacteria12020Resolved

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 Carthage water hard?

No. It measures about 57 mg/L (3.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 57 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.3.

Has the Carthage water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 10 health-based violations for City of Carthage since 2016, involving Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Lead and Copper Rule, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 12 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 342 cities in Texas

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, June 21, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.