Marion, IL water hardness

Tap water hardness
47mg/L
2.8gpg
SoftReports range 32–47

Reported by Lake of Egypt PWD · June 2022

IL typical
139 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Data
Utility report

The water in Marion carries roughly 47 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 2.8 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The number comes from Lake of Egypt PWD, dated June 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 32 to 47 mg/L.

Marion on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Carbondale: 36 mg/LCarbondale 36Edwardsville: 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 276Marion 47mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Carbondale: 36 mg/LCarbondale 36Mascoutah: 124 mg/LMascoutah 124Shiloh: 157 mg/LShiloh 157Belleville: 157 mg/LBelleville 157Swansea: 157 mg/LSwansea 157Fairview Heights: 157 mg/LFairview H. 15747 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Marion sits 92 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 36 mg/L in Carbondale to 276 in Collinsville.

What 47 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 47 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 Marion's water system

Lake of Egypt PWD · PWSID IL1995200

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 11,368 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total organic carbon removal'16'18'20'22'24'26Total organic carbon removal
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total organic carbon removaltreatment requirement22024Resolved

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 Marion water hard?

No. It measures about 47 mg/L (2.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 47 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.8.

Has the Marion water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Lake of Egypt PWD since 2016, involving Total organic carbon removal.

Nearby cities

All 192 cities in Illinois

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 14, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.