Charleston, WV water hardness

Tap water hardness
41mg/L
2.4gpg
Soft

Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · October 2024

WV typical
106 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Calculated from utility data

Charleston water measures 41 mg/L (2.4 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (October 2024).

Charleston on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WV typical 106South Charleston: 41 mg/LSouth Charleston 41Fairmont: 55 mg/LFairmont 55Brookhaven: 91 mg/LBrookhaven 91Clarksburg: 104 mg/LClarksburg 104Wheeling: 106 mg/LWheeling 106Parkersburg: 114 mg/LParkersburg 114Bridgeport: 122 mg/LBridgeport 122Morgantown: 123 mg/LMorgantown 123Huntington: 137 mg/LHuntington 137New Martinsville: 228 mg/LNew Martinsville 228Charleston 41mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WV 106South Charleston: 41 mg/LSouth Char. 41Clarksburg: 104 mg/LClarksburg 104Parkersburg: 114 mg/LParkersburg 114Bridgeport: 122 mg/LBridgeport 122Huntington: 137 mg/LHuntington 137New Martinsville: 228 mg/LNew Martin. 22841 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Charleston sits 65 mg/L below the typical West Virginia figure of 106. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 41 mg/L in South Charleston to 228 in New Martinsville.

What 41 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 41 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 Charleston's water system

Wvawc-Kanawha Valley Dist · PWSID WV3302016

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 209,283 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Charleston.

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 Charleston water hard?

No. It measures about 41 mg/L (2.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 41 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.4.

Has the Charleston water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Wvawc-Kanawha Valley Dist since 2016. There were also 3 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 14 cities in West Virginia

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, October 2, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.