How hard is the water in Gainesville, VA?

Tap water hardness
82mg/L
4.8gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Pwcsa - West · May 2025

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

The water in Gainesville carries roughly 82 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.8 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Pwcsa - West, dated May 2025.

Gainesville on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Warrenton: 70 mg/LWarrenton 70Manassas: 74 mg/LManassas 74Dale City: 78 mg/LDale City 78Potomac Mills: 78 mg/LPotomac Mills 78Sudley: 82 mg/LSudley 82Yorkshire: 82 mg/LYorkshire 82Manassas Park: 82 mg/LManassas Park 82Buckhall: 82 mg/LBuckhall 82Long Branch: 100 mg/LLong Branch 100New Baltimore: 152 mg/LNew Baltimore 152Gainesville 82mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Warrenton: 70 mg/LWarrenton 70Manassas: 74 mg/LManassas 74Sudley: 82 mg/LSudley 82Yorkshire: 82 mg/LYorkshire 82Manassas Park: 82 mg/LManassas P. 82New Baltimore: 152 mg/LNew Baltim. 15282 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Gainesville sits 17 mg/L above the typical Virginia figure of 65. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 70 mg/L in Warrenton to 152 in New Baltimore.

What 82 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 Gainesville

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.8 gpg = 1,076 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 22 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Gainesville's water system

Pwcsa - West · PWSID VA6153251

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 136,409 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Gainesville to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Gainesville, 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 Gainesville water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 82 mg/L (4.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 82 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.8.

What size water softener do I need in Gainesville?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.8 gpg works out to about 1,076 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 22 days.

Has the Gainesville water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Pwcsa - West since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 79 cities in Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 20, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.