Saco Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Saco, Maine, in York County — a York County city on the Saco River adjacent to Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach, one of the historic mill cities of southern Maine on the York County coast — receives its municipal water from the City of Saco Water Division, drawing from the Saco River at the Saco water treatment intake in York County.

The extremely soft 20.5 mg/L hardness and very low TDS of 35.0 mg/L reflect the Saco River's White Mountain granite watershed character — one of the softest water supplies of any US coastal metropolitan area. The Saco River drains the White Mountains of New Hampshire (the Devonian-Carboniferous White Mountain Magma Series — Conway Granite, Mount Osceola Granite, and Precambrian metaquartzite and schist of the Chain Lakes Massif). All source materials are insoluble silicate granitic rock. The river flows through minimal carbonate contact zones on its descent to the Maine coast, delivering near-pure rainwater to the Saco intake.

At 20.5 mg/L, Saco's water is essentially pure — the softest in any Maine metro community. No scale ever forms, soap lathers maximally, and appliances achieve maximum lifespan. No descaling is needed. The PFAS level of 2.5 ppt is very good — the Saco River headwaters drain the White Mountain National Forest with limited industrial or military sources upstream, making Saco's readings among the most pristine in southern New England.