How hard is the water in Lake Tapps, WA?

Tap water hardness
95mg/L
5.6gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Bonney Lake Water Department City · April 2025

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

Tap water in Lake Tapps has about 95 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.6 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Bonney Lake Water Department City, dated April 2025.

Lake Tapps on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36Tehaleh: 22 mg/LTehaleh 22Puyallup: 29 mg/LPuyallup 29Bonney Lake: 30 mg/LBonney Lake 30Prairie Ridge: 30 mg/LPrairie Ridge 30Lakeland South: 38 mg/LLakeland South 38Milton: 38 mg/LMilton 38Pacific: 39 mg/LPacific 39Lake Morton-Berrydale: 52 mg/LLake Morton-Berrydale 52Auburn: 58 mg/LAuburn 58Enumclaw: 62 mg/LEnumclaw 62Lake Tapps 95mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36Puyallup: 29 mg/LPuyallup 29Bonney Lake: 30 mg/LBonney Lake 30Prairie Ridge: 30 mg/LPrairie Ri. 30Lakeland South: 38 mg/LLakeland S. 38Pacific: 39 mg/LPacific 39Auburn: 58 mg/LAuburn 5895 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 95 mg/L, Lake Tapps is 59 mg/L above the typical Washington figure of 36. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 22 mg/L in Tehaleh to 62 in Enumclaw.

What 95 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 Lake Tapps

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.6 gpg = 1,253 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 19 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Lake Tapps's water system

Bonney Lake Water Department City · PWSID WA5307650

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 43,371 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
4
Open now
0

TapWaterData ties Lake Tapps to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Lake Tapps, so check the utility printed on your water bill.

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 Lake Tapps water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 95 mg/L (5.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Lake Tapps in grains per gallon?

About 5.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 95 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.6.

What size water softener do I need in Lake Tapps?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.6 gpg works out to about 1,253 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 19 days.

Has the Lake Tapps water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bonney Lake Water Department City since 2016. There were also 4 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 145 cities in Washington

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 16, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.