How hard is the water in Newport News, VA?

Tap water hardness
68mg/L
4.0gpg
Moderately hardReports range 68–83

Reported by Newport News, City of · March 2025

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

The water in Newport News carries roughly 68 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.0 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Newport News, City of, dated March 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 68 to 83 mg/L.

Newport News on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Smithfield: 9 mg/LSmithfield 9Suffolk: 16 mg/LSuffolk 16Carrollton: 19 mg/LCarrollton 19Petersburg: 23 mg/LPetersburg 23Portsmouth: 36 mg/LPortsmouth 36Hopewell: 42 mg/LHopewell 42Chester: 45 mg/LChester 45Virginia Beach: 52 mg/LVirginia Beach 52Sandston: 65 mg/LSandston 65Highland Springs: 65 mg/LHighland Springs 65Newport News 68mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Smithfield: 9 mg/LSmithfield 9Suffolk: 16 mg/LSuffolk 16Carrollton: 19 mg/LCarrollton 19Portsmouth: 36 mg/LPortsmouth 36Hopewell: 42 mg/LHopewell 42Virginia Beach: 52 mg/LVirginia B. 5268 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Newport News sits close to the typical Virginia figure of 65 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 9 mg/L in Smithfield to 65 in Sandston.

What 68 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 Newport News

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.0 gpg = 893 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 26 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Newport News's water system

Newport News, City of · PWSID VA3700500

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 407,300 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Newport News water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 68 mg/L (4.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Newport News in grains per gallon?

About 4.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 68 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.0.

What size water softener do I need in Newport News?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.0 gpg works out to about 893 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 26 days.

Has the Newport News water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Newport News, City of since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 79 cities in Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 12, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.