Suffolk, VA water hardness

Tap water hardness
16mg/L
0.9gpg
Soft

Reported by Suffolk, City of · August 2025

VA typical
65 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Suffolk has about 16 mg/L of hardness, which is 0.9 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Suffolk, City of, dated August 2025.

Suffolk on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Smithfield: 9 mg/LSmithfield 9Carrollton: 19 mg/LCarrollton 19Petersburg: 23 mg/LPetersburg 23Portsmouth: 36 mg/LPortsmouth 36Hopewell: 42 mg/LHopewell 42Chester: 45 mg/LChester 45Meadowbrook: 45 mg/LMeadowbrook 45Virginia Beach: 52 mg/LVirginia Beach 52Sandston: 65 mg/LSandston 65Newport News: 68 mg/LNewport News 68Suffolk 16mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65Smithfield: 9 mg/LSmithfield 9Carrollton: 19 mg/LCarrollton 19Petersburg: 23 mg/LPetersburg 23Portsmouth: 36 mg/LPortsmouth 36Virginia Beach: 52 mg/LVirginia B. 52Newport News: 68 mg/LNewport Ne. 6816 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Suffolk sits 49 mg/L below the typical Virginia figure of 65. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 9 mg/L in Smithfield to 68 in Newport News.

What 16 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 16 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 Suffolk's water system

Suffolk, City of · PWSID VA3800805

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 69,822 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 Suffolk water hard?

No. It measures about 16 mg/L (0.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 0.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 16 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.9.

Has the Suffolk water system had EPA violations?

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

Nearby cities

All 79 cities in Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 4, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.