Hard water in Strasburg, VA

Tap water hardness
171mg/L
10.0gpg
Hard

Reported by Strasburg, Town of · May 2025

VA typical
65 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Strasburg has about 171 mg/L of hardness, which is 10.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Strasburg, Town of, dated May 2025.

Strasburg on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Warrenton: 70 mg/LWarrenton 70Harrisonburg: 80 mg/LHarrisonburg 80Gainesville: 82 mg/LGainesville 82Sudley: 82 mg/LSudley 82Culpeper: 110 mg/LCulpeper 110Purcellville: 111 mg/LPurcellville 111Front Royal: 112 mg/LFront Royal 112Leesburg: 142 mg/LLeesburg 142New Baltimore: 152 mg/LNew Baltimore 152Winchester: 254 mg/LWinchester 254Strasburg 171mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Warrenton: 70 mg/LWarrenton 70Gainesville: 82 mg/LGainesville 82Purcellville: 111 mg/LPurcellvil. 111Front Royal: 112 mg/LFront Royal 112New Baltimore: 152 mg/LNew Baltim. 152Winchester: 254 mg/LWinchester 254171 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Strasburg sits 106 mg/L above the typical Virginia figure of 65. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 70 mg/L in Warrenton to 254 in Winchester.

What 171 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 171 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.

Softener size for Strasburg

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 10.0 gpg = 2,250 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Strasburg's water system

Strasburg, Town of · PWSID VA2171750

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 7,410 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct22024Resolved

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 Strasburg water hard?

Yes. It measures about 171 mg/L (10.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.

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

About 10.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 171 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 10.0.

What size water softener do I need in Strasburg?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 10.0 gpg works out to about 2,250 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.

Has the Strasburg water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Strasburg, Town of since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM).

Nearby cities

All 79 cities in Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 19, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.