How hard is the water in River Grove, IL?
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
Tap water in River Grove has about 104 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.1 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Leyden TWSP Water District, dated May 2025.
At 104 mg/L, River Grove is 35 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 4 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.1 gpg = 1,368 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.
EPA record for River Grove's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 10,282 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 3
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists River Grove as the system serving River Grove. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for River Grove.
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 River Grove 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 River Grove 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 River Grove?
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 River Grove water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for River Grove since 2016. There were also 3 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Elmwood Park229 mg/LVery hard
- Melrose Park103 mg/LModerately hard
- River Forest135 mg/LHard
- Franklin Park104 mg/LModerately hard
- Schiller Park104 mg/LModerately hard
- Maywood229 mg/LVery hard
- Bellwood104 mg/LModerately hard
- Northlake104 mg/LModerately hard
- Oak Park229 mg/LVery hard
- Berkeley104 mg/LModerately hard
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.