Covington, WA water hardness

Tap water hardness
59mg/L
3.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Covington Water District · October 2025

WA typical
36 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Utility report

Covington water measures 59 mg/L (3.5 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Covington Water District, dated October 2025.

Covington on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36East Renton Highlands: 30 mg/LEast Renton Highlands 30Maple Valley: 46 mg/LMaple Valley 46Black Diamond: 46 mg/LBlack Diamond 46Lakeland North: 48 mg/LLakeland North 48Renton: 49 mg/LRenton 49Lake Morton-Berrydale: 52 mg/LLake Morton-Berrydale 52Kent: 52 mg/LKent 52Fairwood: 53 mg/LFairwood 53Auburn: 58 mg/LAuburn 58Lake Tapps: 95 mg/LLake Tapps 95Covington 59mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36Maple Valley: 46 mg/LMaple Vall. 46Black Diamond: 46 mg/LBlack Diam. 46Lake Morton-Berrydale: 52 mg/LLake Morto. 52Kent: 52 mg/LKent 52Fairwood: 53 mg/LFairwood 53Auburn: 58 mg/LAuburn 5859 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Covington sits 23 mg/L above the typical Washington figure of 36. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 30 mg/L in East Renton Highlands to 95 in Lake Tapps.

What 59 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 59 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 Covington's water system

Covington Water District · PWSID WA5341650

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 56,172 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 Covington water hard?

No. It measures about 59 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 59 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.5.

Has the Covington water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Covington Water District since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 145 cities in Washington

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 8, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.