How hard is the water in Bedford, VA?

Tap water hardness
65mg/L
3.8gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Paradise Point Estates · August 2022

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

Tap water in Bedford has about 65 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Paradise Point Estates, dated August 2022.

Bedford on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Madison Heights: 19 mg/LMadison Heights 19Martinsville: 20 mg/LMartinsville 20Lynchburg: 26 mg/LLynchburg 26Collinsville: 26 mg/LCollinsville 26Timberlake: 33 mg/LTimberlake 33Buena Vista: 46 mg/LBuena Vista 46Vinton: 145 mg/LVinton 145Roanoke: 145 mg/LRoanoke 145Cave Spring: 145 mg/LCave Spring 145Salem: 166 mg/LSalem 166Bedford 65mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Madison Heights: 19 mg/LMadison He. 19Lynchburg: 26 mg/LLynchburg 26Timberlake: 33 mg/LTimberlake 33Vinton: 145 mg/LVinton 145Roanoke: 145 mg/LRoanoke 145Cave Spring: 145 mg/LCave Spring 14565 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 65 mg/L, Bedford is close to the typical Virginia figure of 65 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Madison Heights to 166 in Salem.

What 65 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 Bedford

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.8 gpg = 855 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 28 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Bedford's water system

Paradise Point Estates · PWSID VA5019735

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 60 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Bedford water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 65 mg/L (3.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 65 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.8.

What size water softener do I need in Bedford?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.8 gpg works out to about 855 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 28 days.

Has the Bedford water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Paradise Point Estates since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 79 cities in Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 3, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.