How hard is the water in Lafayette, IN?

Tap water hardness
112mg/L
6.5gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Lafayette Water Works · July 2024

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

The water in Lafayette carries roughly 112 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.5 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Lafayette Water Works, dated July 2024.

Lafayette on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IN typical 178Carmel: 173 mg/LCarmel 173Whitestown: 178 mg/LWhitestown 178Zionsville: 178 mg/LZionsville 178Danville: 178 mg/LDanville 178Avon: 178 mg/LAvon 178Brownsburg: 181 mg/LBrownsburg 181Westfield: 246 mg/LWestfield 246Lebanon: 272 mg/LLebanon 272Kokomo: 283 mg/LKokomo 283West Lafayette: 305 mg/LWest Lafayette 305Lafayette 112mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IN 178Whitestown: 178 mg/LWhitestown 178Zionsville: 178 mg/LZionsville 178Westfield: 246 mg/LWestfield 246Lebanon: 272 mg/LLebanon 272Kokomo: 283 mg/LKokomo 283West Lafayette: 305 mg/LWest Lafay. 305112 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 112 mg/L, Lafayette is 66 mg/L below the typical Indiana figure of 178. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 173 mg/L in Carmel to 305 in West Lafayette.

What 112 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 Lafayette

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.5 gpg = 1,474 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Lafayette's water system

Lafayette Water Works · PWSID IN5279013

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 70,835 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
6
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 Lafayette water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 112 mg/L (6.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 112 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.5.

What size water softener do I need in Lafayette?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.5 gpg works out to about 1,474 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Lafayette water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Lafayette Water Works since 2016. There were also 6 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 53 cities in Indiana

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, July 29, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.