PVWC system water quality
Moderately Hard3 municipalities · Passaic
PVWC system reports water hardness of 4.7 grains per gallon — 81 mg/L as calcium carbonate, moderately hard on the USGS scale. Because the reading is taken on finished water leaving treatment, it is the figure for all 3 towns on this system rather than for any one of them.
Reported panel
| Hardness (grains per gallon) | 4.7 |
|---|---|
| Hardness (mg/L as CaCO₃) | 81 |
| Classification | Moderately Hard |
| pH | Not reported |
| Total dissolved solids | Not reported |
| Disinfectant residual | Not reported |
| Sodium | Not reported |
| Chloride | Not reported |
| Sulfate | Not reported |
| Fluoride | Not reported |
| Manganese | Not reported |
| Iron | Not reported |
Source: Passaic Valley Water Commission — PVWC system, CCR.
Municipalities on this system
Questions people ask
- How hard is PVWC system water?
- PVWC system reports hardness of 4.7 grains per gallon (81 mg/L as calcium carbonate), which the USGS scale classifies as moderately hard. The figure is a system-wide reading and applies to every municipality on the system.
- Which towns are served by PVWC system?
- 3 municipalities on file are served by PVWC system, across Passaic County: Clifton, Passaic, Paterson.
- Why do towns on PVWC system publish the same hardness number?
- Hardness is measured at the treatment plant and at entry points to distribution, not street by street. Every town buying finished water from PVWC system therefore reports the same value.
- How much sodium is in PVWC system water?
- PVWC system has not published a sodium figure in the report on file. Anyone on a sodium-restricted diet should request the current year's report from the utility directly.
- Do I need a water softener on PVWC system water?
- At 4.7 gpg, softening is optional — a maintenance and comfort decision rather than a necessary one.
Get your own tap tested
System-wide figures describe finished water leaving the plant. A test at your own tap is what tells you the hardness, iron and pH your plumbing actually sees.
Hardness is a nuisance parameter, not a regulated health contaminant. See the Learn hub for treatment comparisons, or how these figures are sourced.