Earth and Mineral Sciences Library
105 Deike Building
University Park, PA
814-865-9517
Earth and Mineral Sciences Library
105 Deike Building
University Park, PA
814-865-9517
Download the paper copy of this research guide!
Springs of Pennsylvania - (See CAT record to locate this book.) Contains water hardness data for various springs throughout Pennsylvania. See Table 3 near the back of the book.
The State Water Plan - (See CAT record to locate this book.) Contains water hardness data for various aquifers in Pennsylvania. Locate the appropriate subbasin and look for a table containing water hardness data.
Engineering Characteristics of the Rocks of Pennsylvania - (See the CAT record to locate this book.) Contains descriptive information on water hardness for various rock formations in Pennsylvania. Use in conjunction with the Atlas of Preliminary Geologic Quadrangle Maps of Pennsylvania. (See the CAT record to locate this book, and online at the Pennsylvania Geological Survey.
Ground-water quality and data on wells and springs in Pennsylvania - (See the CAT record to locate this book.) Presents ground-water quality and physical data on about 1,250 wells and springs in the Delaware River Basin in Pennsylvania.
Characteristics of Pennsylvania Recreational Lakes – (See CAT record to locate this book.) Contains hardness data for large Pennsylvania lakes.
Industrial Utility of Water in Pennsylvania; Chemical Character of Surface Water - (See CAT record to locate this book.) Older data but useful for river data.
Water Resource Reports – from the Pennsylvania Geological Survey- Technical reports on the groundwater resources of areas, commonly defined on a countywide basis. Most of these reports include a book and a large-scale, full-color geologic map (list of titles)
Local or regional water authorities:
Water companies may provide water quality information to their customers, which may include hardness data. For example, see
Water Encyclopedia - (See the CAT record to locate this book.)
Ground Water Atlas of the United States
This set contains data on the regional aquifers of the United States. Hardness is usually reported in a graphic in the section on the water quality of each aquifer, however, it is not reported in all cases.
NWIS Web Water Data for the Nation
This web site features hardness data for some aquifers but has a challenging interface. Select "Water Quality" under Data Category. Choose the Samples dataset. Keep moving through the retrieval options until you are able to select a particular station or aquifer.
The Good Water Guide: The World's Best Bottled Water Guide - (See the CAT Record) This new, up-to-date and extended edition of the only guide to the world's best bottled waters covers almost 250 waters in 42 countries. HD9349.M542G76 1994
Geochemistry of European Bottled Water - (See the CAT Record)
This book contains information on the mineral composition of various European waters. Hardness is not reported but individual mineral components are.
Encyclopedia of Water (See the CAT record to locate this book.)
Kirk Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (See the CAT record to locate this book.) Make sure to click "Search in this book" on the right hand side of the page to access the entries in the encyclopedia.
Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water (See the CAT record to locate this book.)
Methods for Determination of Inorganic Substances in Water and Fluvial Sediments (Electronic version-See section 8 in this pdf.)
(See the CAT record to locate this book.)
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology- Available online at Access Science.
Household Water Quality - Water Hardness
Treating Hard Water in the Household
Water Hardness and Alkilinity – This U.S. Geological Survey page provides a map of mean water hardness values for the U.S.
Water Softening - Information from the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
