How hard is the water in Edwardsville, IL?
Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · June 2022
- IL typical
- 139 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Calculated from utility data
The water in Edwardsville carries roughly 87 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.1 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (June 2022).
At 87 mg/L, Edwardsville is 52 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 128 mg/L in Wood River to 276 in Collinsville.
What 87 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.1 gpg = 1,150 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.
EPA record for Edwardsville's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 26,808 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 1
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving Edwardsville.
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 Edwardsville water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 87 mg/L (5.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in Edwardsville in grains per gallon?
About 5.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 87 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.1.
What size water softener do I need in Edwardsville?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.1 gpg works out to about 1,150 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.
Has the Edwardsville water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Edwardsville since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Wood River128 mg/LHard
- Collinsville276 mg/LVery hard
- Granite City276 mg/LVery hard
- East Alton190 mg/LVery hard
- Alton190 mg/LVery hard
- Fairview Heights157 mg/LHard
- East St. Louis157 mg/LHard
- Swansea157 mg/LHard
- Shiloh157 mg/LHard
- Cahokia Heights157 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, June 21, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.