Carbondale, IL water hardness

Tap water hardness
36mg/L
2.1gpg
Soft

Reported by Carbondale · June 2022

IL typical
139 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
4
Data
Utility report

The water in Carbondale carries roughly 36 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.1 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Carbondale, dated June 2022.

Carbondale on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Marion: 47 mg/LMarion 47Edwardsville: 87 mg/LEdwardsville 87Mascoutah: 124 mg/LMascoutah 124Shiloh: 157 mg/LShiloh 157Belleville: 157 mg/LBelleville 157Swansea: 157 mg/LSwansea 157Fairview Heights: 157 mg/LFairview Heights 157Cahokia Heights: 157 mg/LCahokia Heights 157East St. Louis: 157 mg/LEast St. Louis 157Collinsville: 276 mg/LCollinsville 276Carbondale 36mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Marion: 47 mg/LMarion 47Mascoutah: 124 mg/LMascoutah 124Shiloh: 157 mg/LShiloh 157Belleville: 157 mg/LBelleville 157Swansea: 157 mg/LSwansea 157Fairview Heights: 157 mg/LFairview H. 15736 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 36 mg/L, Carbondale is 103 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 47 mg/L in Marion to 276 in Collinsville.

What 36 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 36 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Carbondale's water system

Carbondale · PWSID IL0770150

4 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 22,107 people from surface water.

Health-based
4
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)Total organic carbon removalSurface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)Total organic carbon removalSurface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)filtration and disinfection12025Resolved
Total organic carbon removaltreatment requirement22024Resolved
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection12018Resolved

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 Carbondale water hard?

No. It measures about 36 mg/L (2.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 36 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.1.

Has the Carbondale water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 4 health-based violations for Carbondale since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2), Total organic carbon removal, Surface Water Treatment Rule. There were also 3 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, June 13, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.