Hard water in Auburn, IN
Reported by Auburn Water Department · June 2023
- IN typical
- 178 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Auburn carries roughly 192 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 11.2 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Auburn Water Department, dated June 2023.
At 192 mg/L, Auburn is 14 mg/L above the typical Indiana figure of 178. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 45 mg/L in Huntertown to 354 in Anderson.
What 192 mg/L means at home
Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.
Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.
Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.
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 192 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 × 11.2 gpg = 2,527 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 9 days.
EPA record for Auburn's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 12,800 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- 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 Auburn water hard?
Yes. It measures about 192 mg/L (11.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Auburn in grains per gallon?
About 11.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 192 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 11.2.
What size water softener do I need in Auburn?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 11.2 gpg works out to about 2,527 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 9 days.
Has the Auburn water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Auburn Water Department since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Huntertown45 mg/LSoft
- Fort Wayne95 mg/LModerately hard
- New Haven95 mg/LModerately hard
- Goshen314 mg/LVery hard
- Elkhart312 mg/LVery hard
- Marion321 mg/LVery hard
- Notre Dame220 mg/LVery hard
- South Bend220 mg/LVery hard
- Kokomo283 mg/LVery hard
- Anderson354 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 11, 2023), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.