Water Hardness

Water “hardness” is a measure of the mineral content in your tap water. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium are prevalent in the groundwater sources of the Lehigh Valley. While these minerals are essential to human health, some customers prefer to “soften” the water by installing a water softener. Most softeners replace the minerals with sodium, which may be a health concern for some. Water softening is an individual choice made by each customer.

Water hardness is measured in Parts Per Million (ppm) or Grains Per Gallon (gr/gal) and can fall anywhere in the following scale:

Soft Water ………… 0-75 ppm or 0-4.4 gr/gal
Moderate Water …. 75-150 ppm or 4.4-8.8 gr/gal
Hard Water ……….. 150-300 ppm or 8.8-17.5 gr/gal
Very Hard Water … 300+ ppm or 17.4+ gr/gal

pH:	Measurement of acidity or alkalinity (7 is neutral)
ppm:	Parts per million
gr/gal:	Grains per gallon
mg/L:	Milligrams per Liter

For more information on water hardness in your home, please select your service area location on our water service area map. Click here to visit the page.