How hard is the water in Bloomington, IL?

Tap water hardness
89mg/L
5.2gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Bloomington Township PWD-Crestwicke · July 2025

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

Tap water in Bloomington has about 89 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Bloomington Township PWD-Crestwicke, dated July 2025.

Bloomington on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Morton: 170 mg/LMorton 170Pontiac: 191 mg/LPontiac 191Lincoln: 222 mg/LLincoln 222Washington: 230 mg/LWashington 230Decatur: 261 mg/LDecatur 261Peoria: 272 mg/LPeoria 272Bartonville: 283 mg/LBartonville 283Normal: 327 mg/LNormal 327East Peoria: 361 mg/LEast Peoria 361Pekin: 361 mg/LPekin 361Bloomington 89mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Morton: 170 mg/LMorton 170Pontiac: 191 mg/LPontiac 191Lincoln: 222 mg/LLincoln 222Washington: 230 mg/LWashington 230Normal: 327 mg/LNormal 327East Peoria: 361 mg/LEast Peoria 36189 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 89 mg/L, Bloomington is 50 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 170 mg/L in Morton to 361 in East Peoria.

What 89 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 Bloomington

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.2 gpg = 1,170 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Bloomington's water system

Bloomington Township PWD-Crestwicke · PWSID IL1135120

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 900 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
1
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 Bloomington water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 89 mg/L (5.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 89 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.2.

What size water softener do I need in Bloomington?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.2 gpg works out to about 1,170 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Bloomington water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bloomington Township PWD-Crestwicke since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 192 cities in Illinois

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, July 22, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.