Hard water in Burbank, IL

Tap water hardness
229mg/L
13.4gpg
Very hardCounty estimate

County estimate from 2,738 water samples in Cook County · July 2026

IL typical
139 mg/L
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Burbank put hardness at about 229 mg/L (13.4 gpg), which would be very hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 2,738 samples taken across Cook County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Burbank's treated tap water.

Burbank on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Berwyn: 111 mg/LBerwyn 111La Grange: 122 mg/LLa Grange 122La Grange Park: 129 mg/LLa Grange Park 129Hinsdale: 133 mg/LHinsdale 133Chicago: 139 mg/LChicago 139Oak Lawn: 229 mg/LOak Lawn 229Cicero: 229 mg/LCicero 229Blue Island: 229 mg/LBlue Island 229Oak Park: 229 mg/LOak Park 229Maywood: 229 mg/LMaywood 229Burbank 229mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Berwyn: 111 mg/LBerwyn 111La Grange: 122 mg/LLa Grange 122Chicago: 139 mg/LChicago 139Oak Lawn: 229 mg/LOak Lawn 229Cicero: 229 mg/LCicero 229Blue Island: 229 mg/LBlue Island 229229 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Burbank sits 90 mg/L above the typical Illinois figure of 139. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 111 mg/L in Berwyn to 229 in Oak Lawn.

What 229 mg/L means at home

Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.

Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.

Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.

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

At 229 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.

Ion-exchange water softener

The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.

Salt-free conditioner

No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.

Reverse osmosis or carbon filter

Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.

Softener size for Burbank

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 13.4 gpg = 3,013 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Burbank's water system

We could not match Burbank to a community water system in EPA's records. Your water bill or the yearly Consumer Confidence Report names the system and its ID.

Questions

Is Burbank water hard?

Yes. It measures about 229 mg/L (13.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

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

About 13.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 229 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 13.4.

What size water softener do I need in Burbank?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 13.4 gpg works out to about 3,013 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.

Nearby cities

All 192 cities in Illinois

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.