Blacksburg, VA water hardness

Tap water hardness
41mg/L
2.4gpg
Soft

Reported by Blacksburg, Town of · June 2025

VA typical
65 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Blacksburg has about 41 mg/L of hardness, which is 2.4 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Blacksburg, Town of, dated June 2025.

Blacksburg on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Pulaski: 20 mg/LPulaski 20Martinsville: 20 mg/LMartinsville 20Collinsville: 26 mg/LCollinsville 26Radford: 55 mg/LRadford 55Bedford: 65 mg/LBedford 65Cave Spring: 145 mg/LCave Spring 145Roanoke: 145 mg/LRoanoke 145Vinton: 145 mg/LVinton 145Salem: 166 mg/LSalem 166Christiansburg: 213 mg/LChristiansburg 213Blacksburg 41mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Pulaski: 20 mg/LPulaski 20Radford: 55 mg/LRadford 55Cave Spring: 145 mg/LCave Spring 145Roanoke: 145 mg/LRoanoke 145Salem: 166 mg/LSalem 166Christiansburg: 213 mg/LChristians. 21341 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 41 mg/L, Blacksburg is 24 mg/L below the typical Virginia figure of 65. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 20 mg/L in Pulaski to 213 in Christiansburg.

What 41 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 41 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 Blacksburg's water system

Blacksburg, Town of · PWSID VA1121052

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 34,578 people from surface water.

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 Blacksburg water hard?

No. It measures about 41 mg/L (2.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 41 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.4.

Has the Blacksburg water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Blacksburg, Town of since 2016. There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 79 cities in Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 16, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.