How hard is the water in Mount Zion, IL?

Tap water hardness
103mg/L
6.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Mount Zion · February 2025

IL typical
139 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
8
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Mount Zion carries roughly 103 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.0 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Mount Zion, dated February 2025.

Mount Zion on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Savoy: 84 mg/LSavoy 84Urbana: 84 mg/LUrbana 84Champaign: 85 mg/LChampaign 85Bloomington: 89 mg/LBloomington 89Mattoon: 108 mg/LMattoon 108Effingham: 108 mg/LEffingham 108Springfield: 120 mg/LSpringfield 120Taylorville: 142 mg/LTaylorville 142Lincoln: 222 mg/LLincoln 222Decatur: 261 mg/LDecatur 261Mount Zion 103mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Savoy: 84 mg/LSavoy 84Champaign: 85 mg/LChampaign 85Mattoon: 108 mg/LMattoon 108Taylorville: 142 mg/LTaylorville 142Lincoln: 222 mg/LLincoln 222Decatur: 261 mg/LDecatur 261103 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Mount Zion sits 36 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 84 mg/L in Savoy to 261 in Decatur.

What 103 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 Mount Zion

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,354 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Mount Zion's water system

Mount Zion · PWSID IL1150350

8 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 5,833 people from surface water.

Health-based
8
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Lead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Lead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct72021–2024Resolved
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling12021Resolved

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 Mount Zion water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 103 mg/L (6.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Mount Zion in grains per gallon?

About 6.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 103 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.0.

What size water softener do I need in Mount Zion?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.0 gpg works out to about 1,354 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Mount Zion water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 8 health-based violations for Mount Zion since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 3 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, February 3, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.