Chester, VA water hardness

Tap water hardness
45mg/L
2.6gpg
Soft

Reported by Chesterfield CO Central Water System · August 2025

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

The water in Chester carries roughly 45 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.6 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Chesterfield CO Central Water System, dated August 2025.

Chester on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Petersburg: 23 mg/LPetersburg 23Hopewell: 42 mg/LHopewell 42Meadowbrook: 45 mg/LMeadowbrook 45Rockwood: 45 mg/LRockwood 45Brandermill: 45 mg/LBrandermill 45Manchester: 65 mg/LManchester 65Montrose: 65 mg/LMontrose 65Sandston: 65 mg/LSandston 65Bon Air: 65 mg/LBon Air 65Richmond: 67 mg/LRichmond 67Chester 45mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Petersburg: 23 mg/LPetersburg 23Hopewell: 42 mg/LHopewell 42Meadowbrook: 45 mg/LMeadowbrook 45Rockwood: 45 mg/LRockwood 45Manchester: 65 mg/LManchester 65Montrose: 65 mg/LMontrose 6545 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Chester sits 20 mg/L below the typical Virginia figure of 65. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 23 mg/L in Petersburg to 67 in Richmond.

What 45 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 45 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 Chester's water system

Chesterfield CO Central Water System · PWSID VA4041845

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 389,897 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Chester to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Chester, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

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 Chester water hard?

No. It measures about 45 mg/L (2.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 45 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.6.

Has the Chester water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Chesterfield CO Central Water System since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 79 cities in Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 11, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.