Buena Vista, VA water hardness

Tap water hardness
46mg/L
2.7gpg
Soft

Reported by Buena Vista, City of · August 2022

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

Buena Vista water measures 46 mg/L (2.7 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Buena Vista, City of, dated August 2022.

Buena Vista on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Madison Heights: 19 mg/LMadison Heights 19Lynchburg: 26 mg/LLynchburg 26Timberlake: 33 mg/LTimberlake 33Stuarts Draft: 55 mg/LStuarts Draft 55Fishersville: 55 mg/LFishersville 55Bedford: 65 mg/LBedford 65Waynesboro: 84 mg/LWaynesboro 84Staunton: 131 mg/LStaunton 131Vinton: 145 mg/LVinton 145Roanoke: 145 mg/LRoanoke 145Buena Vista 46mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Madison Heights: 19 mg/LMadison He. 19Lynchburg: 26 mg/LLynchburg 26Timberlake: 33 mg/LTimberlake 33Stuarts Draft: 55 mg/LStuarts Dr. 55Fishersville: 55 mg/LFishersvil. 55Bedford: 65 mg/LBedford 6546 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Buena Vista sits 19 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 19 mg/L in Madison Heights to 145 in Vinton.

What 46 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 46 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 Buena Vista's water system

Buena Vista, City of · PWSID VA2530125

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 6,566 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 Buena Vista water hard?

No. It measures about 46 mg/L (2.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Buena Vista in grains per gallon?

About 2.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 46 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.7.

Has the Buena Vista water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Buena Vista, City 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, August 17, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.