Gig Harbor, WA water hardness

Tap water hardness
46mg/L
2.7gpg
Soft

Reported by Gig Harbor Water Dept · October 2025

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

Gig Harbor water measures 46 mg/L (2.7 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Gig Harbor Water Dept, dated October 2025.

Gig Harbor on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36Fircrest: 22 mg/LFircrest 22University Place: 22 mg/LUniversity Place 22Tacoma: 22 mg/LTacoma 22Federal Way: 31 mg/LFederal Way 31Port Orchard: 39 mg/LPort Orchard 39Wollochet: 46 mg/LWollochet 46Des Moines: 48 mg/LDes Moines 48Normandy Park: 64 mg/LNormandy Park 64Steilacoom: 72 mg/LSteilacoom 72Lakewood: 72 mg/LLakewood 72Gig Harbor 46mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36Fircrest: 22 mg/LFircrest 22University Place: 22 mg/LUniversity. 22Tacoma: 22 mg/LTacoma 22Federal Way: 31 mg/LFederal Way 31Wollochet: 46 mg/LWollochet 46Steilacoom: 72 mg/LSteilacoom 7246 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Gig Harbor sits close to the typical Washington figure of 36 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 22 mg/L in Fircrest to 72 in Steilacoom.

What 46 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 46 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 Gig Harbor's water system

Gig Harbor Water Dept · PWSID WA5327600

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 16,510 people from groundwater.

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 Gig Harbor water hard?

No. It measures about 46 mg/L (2.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Gig Harbor in grains per gallon?

About 2.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 46 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.7.

Has the Gig Harbor water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Gig Harbor Water Dept since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 145 cities in Washington

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 20, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.