How hard is the water in Berwyn, IL?

Tap water hardness
111mg/L
6.5gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Berwyn · August 2025

IL typical
139 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Berwyn carries roughly 111 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.5 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Berwyn, dated August 2025.

Berwyn on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Melrose Park: 103 mg/LMelrose Park 103Bellwood: 104 mg/LBellwood 104La Grange: 122 mg/LLa Grange 122La Grange Park: 129 mg/LLa Grange Park 129River Forest: 135 mg/LRiver Forest 135Chicago: 139 mg/LChicago 139Cicero: 229 mg/LCicero 229Oak Park: 229 mg/LOak Park 229Maywood: 229 mg/LMaywood 229Elmwood Park: 229 mg/LElmwood Park 229Berwyn 111mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139La Grange: 122 mg/LLa Grange 122La Grange Park: 129 mg/LLa Grange. 129River Forest: 135 mg/LRiver Fore. 135Cicero: 229 mg/LCicero 229Oak Park: 229 mg/LOak Park 229Maywood: 229 mg/LMaywood 229111 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 111 mg/L, Berwyn is 28 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 103 mg/L in Melrose Park to 229 in Cicero.

What 111 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Berwyn

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.5 gpg = 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Berwyn's water system

Berwyn · PWSID IL0310210

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 57,250 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
6
Open now
0

Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.

Questions

Is Berwyn water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 111 mg/L (6.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Berwyn in grains per gallon?

About 6.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 111 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.5.

What size water softener do I need in Berwyn?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.5 gpg works out to about 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Berwyn water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Berwyn since 2016. There were also 6 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 192 cities in Illinois

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 18, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.