Hard water in Mascoutah, IL
Reported by S L M Water Commission · June 2022
- IL typical
- 139 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Mascoutah carries roughly 124 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 7.2 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from S L M Water Commission, dated June 2022.
At 124 mg/L, Mascoutah is 15 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 87 mg/L in Edwardsville to 276 in Collinsville.
What 124 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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
At 124 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.
Ion-exchange water softener
The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.
Salt-free conditioner
No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.
Reverse osmosis or carbon filter
Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 7.2 gpg = 1,631 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 14 days.
EPA record for Mascoutah's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 385 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 2
- 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 Mascoutah water hard?
Yes. It measures about 124 mg/L (7.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Mascoutah in grains per gallon?
About 7.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 124 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.2.
What size water softener do I need in Mascoutah?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.2 gpg works out to about 1,631 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 14 days.
Has the Mascoutah water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for S L M Water Commission since 2016. There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Shiloh157 mg/LHard
- Belleville157 mg/LHard
- Swansea157 mg/LHard
- Fairview Heights157 mg/LHard
- Collinsville276 mg/LVery hard
- East St. Louis157 mg/LHard
- Cahokia Heights157 mg/LHard
- Edwardsville87 mg/LModerately hard
- Granite City276 mg/LVery hard
- Wood River128 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 7, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.