How hard is the water in Waynesboro, VA?

Tap water hardness
84mg/L
4.9gpg
Moderately hardReports range 3–84

Reported by Waynesboro, City of · December 2024

VA typical
65 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Waynesboro water measures 84 mg/L (4.9 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Waynesboro, City of, dated December 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 3 to 84 mg/L.

Waynesboro on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+VA typical 65Madison Heights: 19 mg/LMadison Heights 19Lake Monticello: 22 mg/LLake Monticello 22University of Virginia: 37 mg/LUniversity of Virginia 37Charlottesville: 37 mg/LCharlottesville 37Buena Vista: 46 mg/LBuena Vista 46Fishersville: 55 mg/LFishersville 55Stuarts Draft: 55 mg/LStuarts Draft 55Harrisonburg: 80 mg/LHarrisonburg 80Staunton: 131 mg/LStaunton 131Bridgewater: 175 mg/LBridgewater 175Waynesboro 84mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+VA 65University of Virginia: 37 mg/LUniversity. 37Charlottesville: 37 mg/LCharlottes. 37Fishersville: 55 mg/LFishersvil. 55Stuarts Draft: 55 mg/LStuarts Dr. 55Staunton: 131 mg/LStaunton 131Bridgewater: 175 mg/LBridgewater 17584 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Waynesboro sits 19 mg/L above the typical Virginia figure of 65. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 19 mg/L in Madison Heights to 175 in Bridgewater.

What 84 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 Waynesboro

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.9 gpg = 1,105 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 21 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Waynesboro's water system

Waynesboro, City of · PWSID VA2820775

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 22,630 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
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 Waynesboro water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 84 mg/L (4.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 84 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.9.

What size water softener do I need in Waynesboro?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.9 gpg works out to about 1,105 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 21 days.

Has the Waynesboro water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Waynesboro, City of since 2016. 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, December 1, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.