How hard is the water in Lakewood, WA?

Tap water hardness
72mg/L
4.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Lakewood Water District · March 2024

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

Tap water in Lakewood has about 72 mg/L of hardness, which is 4.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Lakewood Water District, dated March 2024.

Lakewood on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36University Place: 22 mg/LUniversity Place 22Parkland: 22 mg/LParkland 22Fircrest: 22 mg/LFircrest 22Midland: 22 mg/LMidland 22Tacoma: 22 mg/LTacoma 22Clover Creek: 22 mg/LClover Creek 22Summit: 22 mg/LSummit 22Waller: 22 mg/LWaller 22Spanaway: 39 mg/LSpanaway 39Steilacoom: 72 mg/LSteilacoom 72Lakewood 72mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36University Place: 22 mg/LUniversity. 22Parkland: 22 mg/LParkland 22Fircrest: 22 mg/LFircrest 22Midland: 22 mg/LMidland 22Spanaway: 39 mg/LSpanaway 39Steilacoom: 72 mg/LSteilacoom 7272 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 72 mg/L, Lakewood is 36 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 University Place to 72 in Steilacoom.

What 72 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 Lakewood

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.2 gpg = 952 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 25 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Lakewood's water system

Lakewood Water District · PWSID WA5345550

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 82,425 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
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 Lakewood water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 72 mg/L (4.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 72 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.2.

What size water softener do I need in Lakewood?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.2 gpg works out to about 952 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 25 days.

Has the Lakewood water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Lakewood Water District since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 145 cities in Washington

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 25, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.