Hard water in Charles, WV
Reported by Charles Town Utilities · August 2022
- WV typical
- 106 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 7
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Charles carries roughly 158 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 9.2 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from Charles Town Utilities, dated August 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 129 to 158 mg/L.
At 158 mg/L, Charles is 52 mg/L above the typical West Virginia figure of 106. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 55 mg/L in Fairmont to 387 in Martinsburg.
What 158 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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
At 158 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.
Ion-exchange water softener
The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.
Salt-free conditioner
No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.
Reverse osmosis or carbon filter
Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 9.2 gpg = 2,079 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 11 days.
EPA record for Charles's water system
7 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 15,220 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 7
- Monitoring or reporting
- 67
- Open now
- 2
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total organic carbon removaltreatment requirement | 1 | 2026 | Resolved |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct | 3 | 2019–2020 | Resolved |
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct | 3 | 2019–2020 | Resolved |
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 Charles water hard?
Yes. It measures about 158 mg/L (9.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Charles in grains per gallon?
About 9.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 158 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 9.2.
What size water softener do I need in Charles?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 9.2 gpg works out to about 2,079 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 11 days.
Has the Charles water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 7 health-based violations for Charles Town Utilities since 2016, involving Total organic carbon removal, Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Total trihalomethanes (TTHM). There were also 67 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Martinsburg387 mg/LVery hard
- Cheat Lake91 mg/LModerately hard
- Brookhaven91 mg/LModerately hard
- Morgantown123 mg/LHard
- Fairmont55 mg/LSoft
- Bridgeport122 mg/LHard
- Clarksburg104 mg/LModerately hard
- Wheeling106 mg/LModerately hard
- New Martinsville228 mg/LVery hard
- Parkersburg114 mg/LModerately hard
All 14 cities in West Virginia
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 16, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.