Water Hardness in West Virginia Cities

Water Hardness in West Virginia Cities

Water hardness, primarily signifying the concentration of dissolved substances such as calcium and magnesium, can exhibit significant variation across West Virginia. The state, nestled within the Appalachian region, often displays diverse water hardness levels, unlike territories such as the Midwest known to possess higher hardness levels.

Looking specifically at West Virginia, the hardness measurements gathered from various towns and cities indicate a tendency towards moderate to high hardness levels, compared to the national average. Consequently, West Virginia’s water is largely categorized under the ‘moderate to hard’ bracket. This characteristic holds significant implications in terms of the water’s taste and the effectiveness of cleaning agents like soaps and detergents. It should be noted that these hardness levels are subject to fluctuation and can change depending on local geological conditions and differences in water sources.

The cities evaluated in this dataset exhibit a wide range of hardness values in their water supplies, represented in Parts Per Million (ppm) and Grains Per Gallon (gpg). Cities like Charleston, Huntington, and Clarksburg have high hardness levels, exceeding 90 ppm, 5.26 gpg. Conversely, water hardness in South Charleston, Dunbar, and Nitro is on the lower side, less than 36 ppm, 2.1 gpg. Meanwhile, several cities, such as Parkersburg, Wheeling, and Martinsburg, have not provided any information regarding the hardness of their water supplies.

City Hardness ppm (mg/L) Hardness gpg Information Source Notes
Charleston 36.0 2.1 Link Took average of listed range
Huntington 103.0 6.0 Link Took average of listed range
Parkersburg n/a n/a Link
Morgantown 88.6 5.2 Link Took average of listed range
Wheeling n/a n/a Link
Martinsburg n/a n/a Link
Weirton n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Fairmont n/a n/a Link
Beckley n/a n/a Link
Clarksburg 118.5 6.9 Link Took average of listed range
South Charleston 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Kanawa County
St. Albans n/a n/a Link
Vienna n/a n/a Link
Bluefield 140.0 8.5 Link Took average of listed range
Bridgeport 118.5 6.9 Link
Oak Hill 65.0 4.0 Link
Moundsville n/a n/a Link
Dunbar 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Kanawa County
Hurricane n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Elkins n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Charles Town 140.5 8.5 Link Took average of listed range
Nitro 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Putnam County which sources from Charleston
Princeton 62.5 3.7 Link Via Zipcode lookup
Ranson corporation 140.5 8.5 Link Part of Charles Town
Buckhannon n/a n/a Link
New Martinsville n/a n/a Unable to find
Keyser n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Grafton n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Barboursville 103.0 6.0 Link Covered by Huntington per zip code lookup
Westover 88.6 5.2 Link Gets from Morgantown, per website
Point Pleasant n/a n/a Link Got through County Website.
Weston 44.0 3.0 Link
Lewisburg n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Ravenswood n/a n/a Link
Pleasant Valley n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Summersville n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Kingwood n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Ripley n/a n/a Link
Williamstown n/a n/a Link
Kenova 103.0 6.0 Link Covered by Huntington per zip code lookup
Williamson n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Philippi n/a n/a Link
Fayetteville n/a n/a Link
Madison 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Kanawa County
Milton 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Kanawa County
Follansbee n/a n/a Link
Bethlehem n/a n/a Link Purchases from Wheeling per US EPA search
Moorefield n/a n/a Link
Paden City n/a n/a Link City website is down and EPA search didn’t find the report
Wellsburg n/a n/a Link
Winfield n/a n/a Link Well water
Shinnston n/a n/a Link
Petersburg n/a n/a Link Report isn’t loaded on their website, it’s just a text block that says “insert report here”. Old reports also not there.
Hinton 62.5 3.7 Link Took average of range
White Sulphur Springs n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Chester n/a n/a Link
Spencer n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Mannington n/a n/a Link
Welch n/a n/a Link
St. Marys n/a n/a Link
Star City n/a n/a Link
Belington n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Stonewood n/a n/a Link
Romney n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
McMechen n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Harrisville n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Richwood n/a n/a Link Actively delinquent on monitoring, per website
Ronceverte n/a n/a Link Water Quality Report hasn’t been uploaded on city site
West Liberty 313.0 18.3 Link Found on this map, report from 2018 at West Liberty University
Eleanor 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Putnam County, Kanawa Water District
Terra Alta n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Shepherdstown n/a n/a Link
Glen Dale n/a n/a Link
Nutter Fort 118.5 6.9 Link Purchases from Clarksburg
Marmet 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Kanawa County
Salem 118.5 6.9 Link
New Haven n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Mullens n/a n/a City doesn’t have dedicated website, EPA CCR search brough up nothing
Oceana n/a n/a Link No CCR on website
Wayne 103.0 6.0 Link Covered under Huntington per Zip Lookup
Logan n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Ceredo 103.0 6.0 Link Purchases from Kenova
Granville 88.6 5.2 Link Covered by Morgantown
Sistersville n/a n/a Link No CCR on website
Chesapeake 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Kanawa County
Mabscott n/a n/a Link Covered under Beckley
Parsons n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Ansted 65.0 4.0 Link Per Zip lookup
Montgomery 36.0 2.1 Link Per Zip lookup
Benwood n/a n/a Link
Buffalo 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Putnam County
Barrackville n/a n/a Link Not on their website, or EPA CCR search
Rainelle n/a n/a Link No specific CCR report, just a notice of violation of water quality standards on the town Facebook page, nothing on EPA CCR search either
Belle 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Kanawa County
Glenville n/a n/a Link Nothing in county document repository nor on EPA CCR search
Sophia n/a n/a Link Covered under Raleigh County per EPA CCR search, purchases from Beckley
Mount Hope n/a n/a Link Only has alkalinity
Pennsboro 146.0 8.5 Link Grabbed most recent record for Pennsboro from this map (2016)
Bolivar n/a n/a Link Covered by Harper’s Ferry
Hamlin 36.0 2.1 Link Part of Charleson Water/Lincoln County
Top 100 West Virginia cities by population and their reported water hardness
ppm = Parts Per Million
mg/L = Milligrams Per Liter
gpg = Grains Per Gallon

Hard water can cause issues such as mineral buildup in plumbing and appliances, reduce the efficacy of soaps and detergents, and affect the taste of the water. A tried and true solution is the use of a water softener. A water softener, like the ones from DROP, could be a worthwhile investment.

These devices work by replacing the calcium and magnesium ions that cause hardness with sodium ions, resulting in softer water. With innovative features, easy installation, and efficient operation, DROP smart water softeners provide a solution to hard water issues, extending the lifespan of appliances, improving water taste, enhancing soap effectiveness, reducing scale build-up, and increasing the overall water efficiency in your home.

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