Mount Vernon Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)
Water Hardness
3.3 grains per gallon
Source
reservoir
pH Level
7.5
neutral = 7.0
Lead
0.006 mg/L
✓ Below action level
TDS
129.4 mg/L
Est. Daily Cost
$0.15
energy & soap waste
Source: USGS Water Quality Portal · Updated 2026
0–60
mg/L
Soft
61–120
mg/L
Moderately Hard
121–180
mg/L
Hard
180+
mg/L
Very Hard
Appliance Damage Report
In Mount Vernon, your appliances are currently losing 8% efficiency due to mineral buildup.
| Appliance | In Mount Vernon | Soft Water City | Efficiency Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettle | 7.7 yrs | 8.5 yrs | -9% |
| Washing Machine | 11.5 yrs | 12 yrs | -4% |
| Water Heater | 13.3 yrs | 15 yrs | -11% |
Regional Water Comparison
How Mount Vernon compares to its nearest neighbours
| City | Hardness | PFAS (ppt) | Risk | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ Mount Vernon, Washington | 57 mg/L | 2.6 ppt | 🟢 Soft | reservoir |
| Anacortes, Washington | 46 mg/L | 2.3 ppt | 🟢 Soft | reservoir |
| Arlington, Washington | 51.5 mg/L | 2.5 ppt | 🟢 Soft | reservoir |
| Camano, Washington | 61 mg/L | 2.8 ppt | 🟡 Moderately Hard | reservoir |
| Oak Harbor, Washington | 23 mg/L | 1.6 ppt | 🟢 Soft | reservoir |
National Benchmark
How Mount Vernon compares to the USA average
| Benchmark | Hardness | Appliance Risk |
|---|---|---|
| ▶ Mount Vernon | 57 mg/L | 🟢 None |
| USA National Avg | 150 mg/L | 🟠 Moderate |
| Badger Top Rated | 8.5 mg/L | 🟢 None |
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What Makes Mount Vernon's Water Unique?
Local geology and source profile
Mount Vernon, Washington, the Skagit County seat — a major northwest Washington Puget Sound community (Mount Vernon is the Skagit County seat and the largest city in Skagit County — a major agricultural and commercial hub in the Skagit Valley), famous for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (the Skagit Valley — centered on Mount Vernon — hosts one of the largest tulip festivals in the world each April, when the valley's commercial tulip fields attract hundreds of thousands of visitors — one of the most dramatic spring flower displays in North America), a diverse Skagit County community with a significant Latino-American (primarily Mexican-American) agricultural worker population, home of Skagit Valley College, and adjacent to the dramatic Cascade Mountain foothills — draws its municipal water supply from the Skagit River via the City of Mount Vernon Water Division. Water hardness in Mount Vernon measures 57 mg/L — classified as moderately soft.
Mount Vernon's soft supply reflects the Skagit River Cascade Mountain watershed's calcareous-poor volcanic geology. The Skagit River drains: the North Cascades (Precambrian–Mesozoic calcareous-poor Cascade crystalline and metamorphic terrain — the highly calcareous-poor north Cascades crystalline rocks); the Quaternary calcareous-poor Cascade volcanic alluvium. City of Mount Vernon treatment produces the soft 57 mg/L.
With hardness at 57 mg/L, Mount Vernon residents enjoy moderately soft water. City of Mount Vernon Water Division consistently delivers water meeting all Washington State DOE and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.
Geology & Source: River supply from the Skagit River via the City of Mount Vernon Water Division — the Skagit County northwest Washington Puget Sound Skagit Valley (Quaternary calcareous-poor Cascade volcanic glacial outwash and Eocene calcareous-poor Chuckanut Formation sandstone — the calcareous-poor Skagit Valley supply; Skagit River with minimal treatment); moderately soft supply at 57 mg/L in Skagit County.