How hard is the water in Effingham, IL?

Tap water hardness
108mg/L
6.3gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by E J Water Coop · June 2022

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

Tap water in Effingham has about 108 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.3 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from E J Water Coop, dated June 2022.

Effingham on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Savoy: 84 mg/LSavoy 84Urbana: 84 mg/LUrbana 84Champaign: 85 mg/LChampaign 85Mount Zion: 103 mg/LMount Zion 103Mattoon: 108 mg/LMattoon 108Springfield: 120 mg/LSpringfield 120Mascoutah: 124 mg/LMascoutah 124Taylorville: 142 mg/LTaylorville 142Decatur: 261 mg/LDecatur 261Robinson: 264 mg/LRobinson 264Effingham 108mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Savoy: 84 mg/LSavoy 84Mount Zion: 103 mg/LMount Zion 103Mattoon: 108 mg/LMattoon 108Taylorville: 142 mg/LTaylorville 142Decatur: 261 mg/LDecatur 261Robinson: 264 mg/LRobinson 264108 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 108 mg/L, Effingham is 31 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 84 mg/L in Savoy to 264 in Robinson.

What 108 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 Effingham

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.3 gpg = 1,422 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Effingham's water system

Effingham · PWSID IL0490250

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 12,252 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists Effingham as the system serving Effingham. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Effingham.

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 Effingham water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 108 mg/L (6.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 108 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.3.

What size water softener do I need in Effingham?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.3 gpg works out to about 1,422 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Effingham water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Effingham since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 192 cities in Illinois

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 8, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.