New Hope Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

New Hope, Minnesota, in Hennepin County — a northwestern Minneapolis first-ring suburb adjacent to Crystal and Golden Valley, a dense residential community in the classic inner-ring Metro corridor — receives its municipal water from the City of New Hope Water Utility or Minneapolis Water Works (MWW), which draws from the Mississippi River at the Minneapolis water plant through the Hennepin County regional distribution system.

The moderately hard 107 mg/L hardness and TDS of 179.9 mg/L are considerably softer than neighboring Golden Valley (271.5 mg/L) despite both being on the Minneapolis Water Works system. This likely reflects New Hope's supply being either a blend of Mississippi River water and the Anoka Sand Plain aquifer (which dilutes hardness) or a separate western Hennepin County groundwater source. The Minneapolis Water Works Mississippi River supply at the main Minneapolis intake typically runs 250-300 mg/L hardness; the 107 mg/L reading suggests New Hope receives a blended or treated supply with significant softening adjustment or alternative local sourcing. The Silurian dolomite carbonate character of the region remains evident in the moderate hardness reading.

At 107 mg/L, New Hope's water is moderately hard — scale builds in kettles and appliances over months, dishwashers benefit from rinse aid, and faucet aerators need periodic cleaning. Quarterly descaling is appropriate. The PFAS level of 3.6 ppt is very favorable for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro — notably lower than neighboring Golden Valley (7.4 ppt), suggesting New Hope's supply source differs from the direct Mississippi River supply that carries more 3M PFAS legacy contamination from the Woodbury-Cottage Grove upstream corridor.