New Brunswick

Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview water hardness

Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview share one water supply: the Turtle Creek Reservoir, in a protected watershed of about 17,000 hectares outside the city, treated at the Moncton Water Treatment Plant. In the City of Moncton's 2025 water quality report, hardness averaged 20.3 mg/L across 14 sampling sites in the distribution system, tested in spring and fall. That is soft water, well under the 60 mg/L line. In Moncton, scale builds slowly, and grease, detergent residue and odours are a bigger worry than limescale.

Data last reviewed October 24, 2026.

Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview ranks #3 softest of 31 cities in the Canadian Hard Water Report 2026. See the full ranking

Moncton Water Treatment Plant (Turtle Creek Reservoir)

20 mg/L as CaCO₃ Soft
  • Average

In other units

US grains per gallon
1.2
Imperial grains per gallon
1.4
German degrees (°dH)
1.1
Millimoles per litre
0.2

Source: City of Moncton, 2025 Annual Water Quality Report (PDF). Data for: 2025, average of 14 distribution sites, spring and fall. Checked October 24, 2026.

What this means for your appliances

Soft

Scale builds slowly with soft water. Odours, grease and detergent residue are the bigger issue, so clean the dishwasher and the washer about every two weeks.

At this hardness, grease and detergent residue are the bigger issue, so start with the dishwasher.

Dishwasher Cleaner5.0(15)5.0 out of 5 stars, 15 reviews$23.95 · $1.00 a clean
Shop now

Dishwasher hardness setting

Only dishwashers with a built-in water softener have a hardness setting. Here is the setting for this water, worked out from each maker's own table.

BrandSetting
Bosch and ThermadorCanadian models with a softener. H:00 is off. H:00
GaggenauSame ranges as Bosch. The display shows the °E band. 0-8
MieleSet in °dH. Below 5, Miele says no salt is needed. 1
Fisher & PaykelDishDrawer models with a softener. 0 is off. 0

Most North American dishwashers, including Bosch models sold in the United States, have no water softener and no hardness setting. With those, use rinse aid and run a dishwasher cleaner once a month.

Sources: Bosch SHX78CC5UC manual, Thermador DWHD661EFP manual, Gaggenau DF481701 manual, Miele dishwasher manual (Canada), Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer guide

Water softener setting

  • 2 grains per gallon

Softeners take hardness in US grains per gallon: the figure in mg/L divided by 17.12, rounded up.

Coffee makers and kettles

BrandSetting
Nespresso Essenza PlusHardness level, and cups between descalings Level 0 (4,000 cups)
Jura E8Hardness setting 1 °dH
  • Breville and De'Longhi espresso machines set their hardness level from the test strip in the box, and time the descaling alert from it.
  • Keurig says to descale every 3 to 6 months.
  • Kettles have no setting: descale yours when white scale shows on the element or the base.

Sources: Nespresso Essenza Plus manual, Jura E8 manual, Breville Barista Touch manual, De'Longhi descaling FAQ, Keurig descaling page

Washer

Hard water leaves scale on the heating element and the drum, and more detergent residue behind.

Recommended for your water

Dishwasher Cleaner

5.0(15)5.0 out of 5 stars, 15 reviews

Dissolves grease, detergent residue and limescale buildup, and removes odour-causing buildup.

Clears grease, limescale and odour buildup

$23.95

Washing Machine Cleaner

4.9(14)4.9 out of 5 stars, 14 reviews

Breaks down residue and odour-causing buildup inside your washer.

Removes odour and buildup from the drum and hoses

$24.95

Guides for hard water

What counts as hard water?

We use the U.S. Geological Survey scale, in mg/L as CaCO₃.

  • Soft 0 to 60 mg/L
  • Moderately hard 61 to 120 mg/L
  • Hard 121 to 180 mg/L
  • Very hard Over 180 mg/L

How to read the units

Utilities usually report hardness in mg/L as calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), which is the same as ppm. Dishwasher and softener manuals often use grains per gallon or German degrees instead. Here is how they convert:

  • 1 US grain per gallon = 17.1 mg/L
  • 1 imperial grain per gallon = 14.25 mg/L
  • 1 °dH = 17.85 mg/L
  • 1 mmol/L = 100.09 mg/L

Questions and answers

Is Moncton water hard?

No. The City of Moncton's 2025 results averaged 20.3 mg/L of hardness, which is soft water. Water only counts as moderately hard above 60 mg/L.

Is it the same water in Dieppe and Riverview?

Yes. The Moncton Water Treatment Plant supplies all three communities from the Turtle Creek Reservoir. Homes on private wells are not covered here.

Do I need to descale appliances in Moncton?

Less often than in harder-water cities. Scale builds slowly with soft water. Grease, detergent residue and odours build up in dishwashers and washers whatever your water, so cleaning the dishwasher and the washer about every two weeks still makes sense.

What hardness setting should my dishwasher use in Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview?

For dishwashers with a built-in water softener, each maker's table gives: Moncton Water Treatment Plant (Turtle Creek Reservoir): Bosch and Thermador H:00, Gaggenau 0-8, Miele 1, Fisher & Paykel 0. Most North American dishwashers, including Bosch models sold in the United States, have no water softener and no hardness setting. With those, use rinse aid and run a dishwasher cleaner once a month.

What should I set my water softener to in Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview?

Moncton Water Treatment Plant (Turtle Creek Reservoir): 2 grains per US gallon (rounded up).

What is Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview's water hardness in grains per gallon?

Moncton Water Treatment Plant (Turtle Creek Reservoir): 1.2 grains per US gallon, or 1.4 grains per imperial gallon.

Where do these numbers come from?

City of Moncton, 2025 Annual Water Quality Report (PDF). Data for 2025, average of 14 distribution sites, spring and fall. We update this page when a new report comes out.

Sources

Embed this badge

Writing about water in Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview? Copy this code into your site's HTML. The badge links back to this page and its sources.