Does Richmond-Area Municipal Water Need a Water Softener?

The short answer

Not every home on municipal water needs or wants a softener, and we don’t add one to every system. Of the four local utilities, only the City of Richmond lists hardness in its 2025 report: 81 ppm, about 4.7 grains per gallon. Chesterfield’s, Henrico’s and Hanover’s 2025 reports don’t list a hardness figure. Chloramine, on the other hand, is documented in all four, which is why catalytic carbon is where we start.

What hardness is

Hardness is mostly dissolved calcium and magnesium. It shows up as white scale on faucets and glass shower doors, spots on dishes and glassware, and soap that doesn’t lather as easily. It’s reported in parts per million (ppm) or grains per gallon (gpg). One grain per gallon is about 17.1 ppm.

What the 2025 reports show

Richmond’s plant also supplies part of Chesterfield’s and Henrico’s water, but each county has its own sources and treatment, so Richmond’s figure shouldn’t be assumed for county homes.

How hard is 81 ppm?

The U.S. Geological Survey classifies water from 0 to 60 mg/L (the same as ppm) as soft, 61 to 120 as moderately hard, 121 to 180 as hard, and above 180 as very hard. At 81 ppm, Richmond’s water is moderately hard: noticeable for some households, but not an extreme hard-water condition.

What a softener does, and what it doesn’t

A water softener swaps hardness minerals for sodium, which reduces scale and spotting. It isn’t designed to reduce chloramine, so on its own it won’t change the chlorine smell and taste that chloramine can cause.

Softening also adds sodium, roughly 35 ppm at Richmond’s hardness. If someone in your home is on a sodium limit, that’s worth factoring in, and reverse osmosis can reduce sodium in the water you drink.

When a softener may make sense

• You’re seeing scale or spotting you’d like to reduce
• You prefer how softened water feels
• You’ve tested your own water and found it harder than you’d like

If any of those fit, we can add a softener alongside the whole-home system. If not, you can skip it.

Why we start with catalytic carbon

All four local utilities disinfect with chloramine and report it: 2.34 ppm in Chesterfield, up to 3.8 ppm in Henrico, 3.8 ppm in Richmond and 3.1 ppm in Hanover, based on the highest running annual averages in each utility’s 2025 report. Henrico’s figure depends on which plant supplies a home: 3.1 ppm from the county’s own plant and 3.8 ppm from the water it buys from Richmond. Catalytic carbon is chosen specifically for chloramine, and it filters water at your main line, before it reaches any faucet, shower or bath.

See your utility: Chesterfield, Henrico, Richmond. Or see the system and pricing.

Sources U.S. Geological Survey, water hardnessCity of Richmond 2025 Consumer Confidence ReportChesterfield County 2025 Water Quality ReportHenrico County 2025 Water Quality ReportUniversity of Arizona Extension, sodium in drinking waterNew York State Department of Health, salt and drinking water