Pascagoula Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Pascagoula, Mississippi, in Jackson County on the Gulf of Mexico coast — home to Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII), one of the U.S. Navy's most important warship construction facilities, and the Port of Pascagoula (Port of Pascagoula being one of the busiest ports on the Gulf Coast) — receives its municipal water from the City of Pascagoula Water System or the Mississippi Coast Regional Water Authority, which draws from the Pascagoula River system or the local Gulf Coastal Plain sand aquifer. Pascagoula's coastal location and groundwater setting produce a softer water supply than most of the Gulf Coast region.

The soft 51.5 mg/L hardness and low TDS of 121 mg/L reflect the Jackson County coastal aquifer's low-carbonate character. The Mississippi Gulf Coastal Plain in Jackson County is underlain by Eocene Claiborne Group fine quartz sand and clay formations — primarily siliciclastic (quartz-dominated) coastal plain sediments with minimal carbonate mineral content. These Eocene coastal sands, deposited in a shallow marine to deltaic environment, do not significantly dissolve calcium or magnesium minerals, producing the soft, low-TDS groundwater characteristic of Jackson County coastal wells. The Pascagoula River also drains low-relief, forested coastal plain terrain, contributing soft surface water when used.

At 51.5 mg/L, Pascagoula's water is soft — excellent for household appliances and comfortable for all uses. Scale forms slowly over many months in kettles and appliances, soap lathers abundantly, and the dishwasher produces spotless results. Semi-annual to annual descaling of heating appliances is adequate. The PFAS level of 3.6 ppt is favorable for a major industrial Gulf Coast city — Ingalls Shipbuilding's marine construction and painting operations and the Port of Pascagoula industrial complex contribute to Jackson County's PFAS background, though the coastal plain's soft, sandy aquifer provides some natural dilution benefit.