Hard water in New Baltimore, VA
Reported by New Baltimore Regional · August 2025
- VA typical
- 65 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in New Baltimore carries roughly 152 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 8.9 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from New Baltimore Regional, dated August 2025.
New Baltimore sits 87 mg/L above the typical Virginia figure of 65. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 70 mg/L in Warrenton to 110 in Culpeper.
What 152 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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
At 152 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.
Ion-exchange water softener
The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.
Salt-free conditioner
No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.
Reverse osmosis or carbon filter
Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 8.9 gpg = 2,005 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 11 days.
EPA record for New Baltimore's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 8,818 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
TapWaterData ties New Baltimore to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name New Baltimore, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined radiumnaturally occurring radioactivity | 1 | 2017–2018 | Resolved |
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 New Baltimore water hard?
Yes. It measures about 152 mg/L (8.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in New Baltimore in grains per gallon?
About 8.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 152 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.9.
What size water softener do I need in New Baltimore?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.9 gpg works out to about 2,005 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 11 days.
Has the New Baltimore water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for New Baltimore Regional since 2016, involving Combined radium.
Nearby cities
- Warrenton70 mg/LModerately hard
- Gainesville82 mg/LModerately hard
- Sudley82 mg/LModerately hard
- Manassas74 mg/LModerately hard
- Buckhall82 mg/LModerately hard
- Yorkshire82 mg/LModerately hard
- Manassas Park82 mg/LModerately hard
- Dale City78 mg/LModerately hard
- Potomac Mills78 mg/LModerately hard
- Culpeper110 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 26, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.