Abington Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Abington Township, Pennsylvania, in Montgomery County north of Philadelphia — a major Philadelphia north suburban township home of Abington Memorial Hospital, Arcadia University, and historic Jenkintown, with a diverse Jewish-American, Korean-American, and South Asian-American community — draws its municipal water supply from the Wissahickon Creek–Delaware River watershed via the Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC) Suburban Division. Water hardness in Abington measures 207.5 mg/L — classified as very hard.

Abington's very hard supply — significantly harder than Philadelphia (162.5 mg/L) and many Montgomery County communities — reflects the aged Abington Township distribution infrastructure in the dense north Philadelphia suburban corridor. Abington Township developed as a streetcar suburb in the 1890s–1930s, with extensive cast-iron water distribution mains laid during this era. PAWC's Suburban Division distribution serving Abington–Jenkintown–Cheltenham includes infrastructure of the late 19th to early 20th century era — comparable in age to the Philadelphia system. The aged cast-iron mains serving Abington's historic residential neighborhoods accumulate significant mineral content, producing the very hard 207.5 mg/L — substantially elevated above the Delaware River and Wissahickon Creek source hardness.

At 207.5 mg/L, Abington residents face significant hard water challenges. Scale deposits form rapidly on all fixtures and tile — monthly descaling with citric acid solution is essential maintenance. Pennsylvania American Water Company consistently delivers water meeting all Pennsylvania DEP and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.