How hard is the water in Richmond, VA?

Tap water hardness
67mg/L
3.9gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Henrico County Water System · October 2025

VA typical
65 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Richmond carries roughly 67 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.9 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Henrico County Water System, dated October 2025.

Richmond on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Meadowbrook: 45 mg/LMeadowbrook 45Rockwood: 45 mg/LRockwood 45Manchester: 65 mg/LManchester 65Bon Air: 65 mg/LBon Air 65Montrose: 65 mg/LMontrose 65Lakeside: 65 mg/LLakeside 65East Highland Park: 65 mg/LEast Highland Park 65Dumbarton: 65 mg/LDumbarton 65Chamberlayne: 65 mg/LChamberlayne 65Tuckahoe: 65 mg/LTuckahoe 65Richmond 67mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Manchester: 65 mg/LManchester 65Bon Air: 65 mg/LBon Air 65Montrose: 65 mg/LMontrose 65Lakeside: 65 mg/LLakeside 65East Highland Park: 65 mg/LEast Highl. 65Dumbarton: 65 mg/LDumbarton 6567 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Richmond 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 45 mg/L in Meadowbrook to 65 in Manchester.

What 67 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 Richmond

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.9 gpg = 878 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 27 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Richmond's water system

Richmond, City of · PWSID VA4760100

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 233,655 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
0

EPA lists Richmond, City of as the system serving Richmond. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Richmond.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total organic carbon removal'16'18'20'22'24'26Total organic carbon removal
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total organic carbon removaltreatment requirement12020Resolved

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 Richmond water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 67 mg/L (3.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 67 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.9.

What size water softener do I need in Richmond?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.9 gpg works out to about 878 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 27 days.

Has the Richmond water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Richmond, City of since 2016, involving Total organic carbon removal. There were also 2 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, October 6, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.