Port Townsend, WA water hardness

Tap water hardness
60mg/L
3.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Port Townsend City of · September 2025

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

Port Townsend water measures 60 mg/L (3.5 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Port Townsend City of, dated September 2025.

Port Townsend on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WA typical 36Mukilteo: 13 mg/LMukilteo 13Picnic Point: 13 mg/LPicnic Point 13Lake Stickney: 13 mg/LLake Stickney 13Mount Vernon: 18 mg/LMount Vernon 18Everett: 19 mg/LEverett 19Marysville: 29 mg/LMarysville 29Arlington: 29 mg/LArlington 29Edmonds: 35 mg/LEdmonds 35Oak Harbor: 45 mg/LOak Harbor 45Poulsbo: 67 mg/LPoulsbo 67Port Townsend 60mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WA 36Mukilteo: 13 mg/LMukilteo 13Picnic Point: 13 mg/LPicnic Poi. 13Marysville: 29 mg/LMarysville 29Edmonds: 35 mg/LEdmonds 35Oak Harbor: 45 mg/LOak Harbor 45Poulsbo: 67 mg/LPoulsbo 6760 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Port Townsend sits 24 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 13 mg/L in Mukilteo to 67 in Poulsbo.

What 60 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 60 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 Port Townsend's water system

Port Townsend City of · PWSID WA5369000

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 17,053 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 Port Townsend water hard?

No. It measures about 60 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Port Townsend in grains per gallon?

About 3.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 60 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.5.

Has the Port Townsend water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Port Townsend City of since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 145 cities in Washington

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 2, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.