Avon Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

The water utility serving Avon, Connecticut, is the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), which supplies treated surface water to the town and surrounding areas in Hartford County. Avon's drinking water is sourced entirely from two major reservoirs: the Barkhamsted Reservoir on the East Branch of the Farmington River and the Nepaug Reservoir on the Nepaug River, a tributary of the Farmington. These reservoirs, totaling nearly 40 billion gallons in capacity, feed into the MDC's treatment facilities, including the Metropolitan District Water Treatment Plant in Hartford. Connecticut Water also operates systems in the Avon area, with detailed quality reports confirming compliance with standards.

The MDC's supply draws from the Farmington River watershed, a 609-square-mile drainage basin characterized by rolling hills and upland terrain in northwestern Connecticut. Underlying geology consists of Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic rocks like the Bristol Gneiss and Hartland Formation schists, interspersed with minor carbonate sequences. The geology yields a hard supply due to natural leaching of calcium and magnesium from weathered bedrock and glacial till, resulting in moderately mineralised water with elevated dissolved solids from watershed soils.

At a moderately hard level, Avon's water promotes moderate scale buildup in appliances over time, particularly affecting water heaters, dishwashers, boilers, and coffee makers where heated water accelerates mineral precipitation. Faucet aerators and showerheads may clog, reducing flow efficiency. Regular maintenance includes monthly vinegar descaling for visible fixtures, annual flushing of water heaters, and installing scale-inhibiting filters. A water softener is often recommended to prevent spotting on dishes and glassware and extend appliance life. MDC and Connecticut Water reports confirm full compliance with federal and state standards; treatment involves coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection with chlorine, plus corrosion control via orthophosphate addition.