Olympia, WA water hardness

Tap water hardness
52mg/L
3.0gpg
SoftReports range 41–52

Reported by Olympia City of · September 2025

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

Tap water in Olympia has about 52 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Olympia City of, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 41 to 52 mg/L.

Olympia on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36University Place: 22 mg/LUniversity Place 22Fircrest: 22 mg/LFircrest 22Parkland: 22 mg/LParkland 22Spanaway: 39 mg/LSpanaway 39Wollochet: 46 mg/LWollochet 46Tumwater: 60 mg/LTumwater 60Steilacoom: 72 mg/LSteilacoom 72Lakewood: 72 mg/LLakewood 72Tanglewilde: 83 mg/LTanglewilde 83Lacey: 110 mg/LLacey 110Olympia 52mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36University Place: 22 mg/LUniversity. 22Tumwater: 60 mg/LTumwater 60Steilacoom: 72 mg/LSteilacoom 72Lakewood: 72 mg/LLakewood 72Tanglewilde: 83 mg/LTanglewilde 83Lacey: 110 mg/LLacey 11052 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 52 mg/L, Olympia is 16 mg/L above the typical Washington figure of 36. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 22 mg/L in University Place to 110 in Lacey.

What 52 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 52 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 Olympia's water system

Olympia City of · PWSID WA5363450

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 126,966 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 Olympia water hard?

No. It measures about 52 mg/L (3.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 3.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 52 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.0.

Has the Olympia water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Olympia City of 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, September 23, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.