How hard is the water in Franklin Park, IL?

Tap water hardness
104mg/L
6.1gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Leyden TWSP Water District · May 2025

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

Franklin Park water measures 104 mg/L (6.1 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Leyden TWSP Water District, dated May 2025.

Franklin Park on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Melrose Park: 103 mg/LMelrose Park 103Schiller Park: 104 mg/LSchiller Park 104Northlake: 104 mg/LNorthlake 104River Grove: 104 mg/LRiver Grove 104Berkeley: 104 mg/LBerkeley 104Bensenville: 104 mg/LBensenville 104Bellwood: 104 mg/LBellwood 104Elmhurst: 110 mg/LElmhurst 110River Forest: 135 mg/LRiver Forest 135Elmwood Park: 229 mg/LElmwood Park 229Franklin Park 104mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Melrose Park: 103 mg/LMelrose Pa. 103Schiller Park: 104 mg/LSchiller P. 104Northlake: 104 mg/LNorthlake 104River Grove: 104 mg/LRiver Grove 104Berkeley: 104 mg/LBerkeley 104Elmwood Park: 229 mg/LElmwood Pa. 229104 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Franklin Park sits 35 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 103 mg/L in Melrose Park to 229 in Elmwood Park.

What 104 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 Franklin Park

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.1 gpg = 1,368 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Franklin Park's water system

Leyden TWSP Water District · PWSID IL0315880

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 10,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
5
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 Franklin Park water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 104 mg/L (6.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Franklin Park in grains per gallon?

About 6.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 104 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.1.

What size water softener do I need in Franklin Park?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.1 gpg works out to about 1,368 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Franklin Park water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Leyden TWSP Water District since 2016. There were also 5 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, May 13, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.