Virginia Beach, VA water hardness

Tap water hardness
52mg/L
3.0gpg
Soft

Reported by Virginia Beach, City of · September 2025

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

The water in Virginia Beach carries roughly 52 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 3.0 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Virginia Beach, City of, dated September 2025.

Virginia Beach 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 45Sandston: 65 mg/LSandston 65Highland Springs: 65 mg/LHighland Springs 65Newport News: 68 mg/LNewport News 68Virginia Beach 52mg/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 42Newport News: 68 mg/LNewport Ne. 6852 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Virginia Beach sits 13 mg/L below the typical Virginia figure of 65. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 9 mg/L in Smithfield to 68 in Newport News.

What 52 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 52 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 Virginia Beach's water system

Virginia Beach, City of · PWSID VA3810900

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 437,994 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 Virginia Beach water hard?

No. It measures about 52 mg/L (3.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Virginia Beach in grains per gallon?

About 3.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 52 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.0.

Has the Virginia Beach water system had EPA violations?

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

Nearby cities

All 79 cities in Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 30, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.