Pulaski, VA water hardness

Tap water hardness
20mg/L
1.2gpg
SoftReports range 20–36

Reported by Pulaski, Town of · August 2022

VA typical
65 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
7
Data
Utility report

Pulaski water measures 20 mg/L (1.2 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Pulaski, Town of, dated August 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 20 to 36 mg/L.

Pulaski on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Martinsville: 20 mg/LMartinsville 20Collinsville: 26 mg/LCollinsville 26Blacksburg: 41 mg/LBlacksburg 41Radford: 55 mg/LRadford 55Richlands: 143 mg/LRichlands 143Cave Spring: 145 mg/LCave Spring 145Roanoke: 145 mg/LRoanoke 145Vinton: 145 mg/LVinton 145Salem: 166 mg/LSalem 166Christiansburg: 213 mg/LChristiansburg 213Pulaski 20mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Blacksburg: 41 mg/LBlacksburg 41Radford: 55 mg/LRadford 55Cave Spring: 145 mg/LCave Spring 145Roanoke: 145 mg/LRoanoke 145Salem: 166 mg/LSalem 166Christiansburg: 213 mg/LChristians. 21320 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 20 mg/L, Pulaski is 45 mg/L below the typical Virginia figure of 65. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 20 mg/L in Martinsville to 213 in Christiansburg.

What 20 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 20 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 Pulaski's water system

Pulaski, Town of · PWSID VA1155635

7 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 9,473 people from surface water.

Health-based
7
Monitoring or reporting
8
Open now
3
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic acids (HAA5)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct22026Resolved
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct52017–2018Resolved

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 Pulaski water hard?

No. It measures about 20 mg/L (1.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 1.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 20 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.2.

Has the Pulaski water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 7 health-based violations for Pulaski, Town of since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Haloacetic acids (HAA5). There were also 8 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 20, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.