How hard is the water in Springfield, IL?

Tap water hardness
120mg/L
7.0gpg
Moderately hardReports range 97–120

Reported by Oakwood Estates · June 2022

IL typical
139 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Springfield water measures 120 mg/L (7.0 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Oakwood Estates, dated June 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 97 to 120 mg/L.

Springfield on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IL typical 139Bloomington: 89 mg/LBloomington 89Mount Zion: 103 mg/LMount Zion 103Jerseyville: 108 mg/LJerseyville 108Taylorville: 142 mg/LTaylorville 142Morton: 170 mg/LMorton 170Lincoln: 222 mg/LLincoln 222Decatur: 261 mg/LDecatur 261Bartonville: 283 mg/LBartonville 283Pekin: 361 mg/LPekin 361Canton: 401 mg/LCanton 401Springfield 120mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IL 139Mount Zion: 103 mg/LMount Zion 103Taylorville: 142 mg/LTaylorville 142Lincoln: 222 mg/LLincoln 222Decatur: 261 mg/LDecatur 261Pekin: 361 mg/LPekin 361Canton: 401 mg/LCanton 401120 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Springfield sits 19 mg/L below the typical Illinois figure of 139. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 89 mg/L in Bloomington to 401 in Canton.

What 120 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 Springfield

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 7.0 gpg = 1,580 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Springfield's water system

Oakwood Estates · PWSID IL1670060

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 420 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 Springfield water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 120 mg/L (7.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 7.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 120 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.0.

What size water softener do I need in Springfield?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.0 gpg works out to about 1,580 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.

Has the Springfield water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Oakwood Estates since 2016. 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, June 7, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.