West Hartford Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) supplies West Hartford, Connecticut, serving approximately 400,000 residents across 12 towns in the Hartford area. Water originates from two primary reservoirs: the 30-billion-gallon Barkhamsted Reservoir (impounded by the Saville Dam, one mile east of New Hartford) and the 9-billion-gallon Nepaug Reservoir (created by the Phelps Brook and Nepaug Dams, one mile northwest of Collinsville). Both reservoirs sit in Connecticut's northwest hills, roughly 20 miles from Hartford, fed by the East Branch of the Farmington River and the Nepaug River. The MDC operates a state-licensed Water Analysis Laboratory at the Reservoir 6 water treatment plant in Bloomfield, conducting over 140,000 tests annually across more than 130 potential contaminants.

The watersheds cover approximately 89.7 square miles of relatively remote, less-developed land in Connecticut's northwest hills, reducing pollution risk. Geologically, the region is underlain by Precambrian metamorphic bedrock — primarily gneiss and schist — characteristic of the New England Upland. This crystalline basement rock contains minimal carbonate minerals, resulting in naturally soft water chemistry with limited dissolved calcium and magnesium. The MDC implements aggressive source protection programs to maintain reservoir quality despite regional environmental pressures.

West Hartford's water is classified as soft, with reported hardness of 15 mg/L as CaCO₃ (0.9 grains per gallon), meaning residents experience minimal scaling in appliances and reduced soap and detergent requirements. Most households do not require water softening systems. The soft character may increase the risk of lead leaching from older copper pipes if pH is not carefully controlled; the MDC's chlorination and pH adjustment treatment addresses this concern. The utility distributes an average of 45 million gallons per day, meeting all State of Connecticut Public Health Code and Federal EPA standards. Annual Consumer Confidence Reports document compliance with all regulated contaminant limits.