How hard is the water in Hampshire, IL?

Tap water hardness
60mg/L
3.5gpg
Moderately hardReports range 35–60

Reported by Hampshire · August 2025

IL typical
139 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Hampshire has about 60 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Hampshire, dated August 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 35 to 60 mg/L.

Hampshire on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139West Dundee: 14 mg/LWest Dundee 14Huntley: 31 mg/LHuntley 31Pingree Grove: 65 mg/LPingree Grove 65Carpentersville: 67 mg/LCarpentersville 67Elgin: 111 mg/LElgin 111Lake in the Hills: 283 mg/LLake in the Hills 283Sycamore: 289 mg/LSycamore 289Gilberts: 328 mg/LGilberts 328Algonquin: 378 mg/LAlgonquin 378Crystal Lake: 388 mg/LCrystal Lake 388Hampshire 60mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139West Dundee: 14 mg/LWest Dundee 14Huntley: 31 mg/LHuntley 31Pingree Grove: 65 mg/LPingree Gr. 65Lake in the Hills: 283 mg/LLake in th. 283Gilberts: 328 mg/LGilberts 328Algonquin: 378 mg/LAlgonquin 37860 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Hampshire sits 79 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 14 mg/L in West Dundee to 388 in Crystal Lake.

What 60 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 Hampshire

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.5 gpg = 797 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 30 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Hampshire's water system

Hampshire · PWSID IL0890450

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 7,758 people from groundwater.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Combined radium'16'18'20'22'24'26Combined radium
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Combined radiumnaturally occurring radioactivity22016Resolved

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 Hampshire water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 60 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 60 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.5.

What size water softener do I need in Hampshire?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.5 gpg works out to about 797 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 30 days.

Has the Hampshire water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Hampshire since 2016, involving Combined radium. There were also 2 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, August 18, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.