Water hardness in Iowa

Typical Iowa tap water
183mg/L
10.7gpg
Very hard

Population-weighted middle value across 43 Iowa cities in the dataset

People with hard or very hard water
83%
Hardest
Fort Dodge 440
Softest
North Liberty 49

We have hardness numbers for 25 Iowa cities; 9 of them are county estimates rather than utility figures. Each city page adds the water system's EPA violation record and a softener size for a typical household.

Every Iowa city on the hardness scale
SoftModerately hardHardVery hard060120180240300360+Des Moines: 296 mg/LCedar Rapids: 128 mg/LDavenport: 196 mg/LSioux City: 183 mg/LAnkeny: 120 mg/LIowa City: 76 mg/LWest Des Moines: 135 mg/LAmes: 150 mg/LWaterloo: 264 mg/LDubuque: 195 mg/LUrbandale: 99 mg/LMarion: 128 mg/LCedar Falls: 264 mg/LBettendorf: 121 mg/LWaukee: 302 mg/LJohnston: 126 mg/LFort Dodge: 440 mg/LMuscatine: 240 mg/LAltoona: 296 mg/LNorth Liberty: 49 mg/LClive: 68 mg/LNorwalk: 132 mg/LOskaloosa: 110 mg/LHiawatha: 125 mg/LPolk City: 151 mg/LDes MoinesCedar RapidsDavenportIowa CitySoftMod.HardVery hard060120180240300360+Des Moines: 296 mg/LCedar Rapids: 128 mg/LDavenport: 196 mg/LSioux City: 183 mg/LAnkeny: 120 mg/LIowa City: 76 mg/LWest Des Moines: 135 mg/LAmes: 150 mg/LWaterloo: 264 mg/LDubuque: 195 mg/LUrbandale: 99 mg/LMarion: 128 mg/LCedar Falls: 264 mg/LBettendorf: 121 mg/LWaukee: 302 mg/LJohnston: 126 mg/LFort Dodge: 440 mg/LMuscatine: 240 mg/LAltoona: 296 mg/LNorth Liberty: 49 mg/LClive: 68 mg/LNorwalk: 132 mg/LOskaloosa: 110 mg/LHiawatha: 125 mg/LPolk City: 151 mg/LDes MoinesCedar Rapids

Dot size follows population. Tap a dot for the city page.

1Soft
5Moderately hard
9Hard
10Very hard

Hardest water in Iowa

  1. Fort Dodge440
  2. Waukee302
  3. Des Moines296
  4. Altoona296
  5. Waterloo264
  6. Cedar Falls264
  7. Muscatine240
  8. Davenport196

Softest water in Iowa

  1. North Liberty49
  2. Clive68
  3. Iowa City76
  4. Urbandale99
  5. Oskaloosa110
  6. Ankeny120
  7. Bettendorf121
  8. Hiawatha125

All cities in Iowa

Citymg/LgpgClassDataEPA health violations
Des Moines29617.3Very hardCounty estimate1
Cedar Rapids1287.5HardUtility report0
Davenport19611.5Very hardCounty estimate0
Sioux City18310.7Very hardUtility report5
Ankeny1207.0Moderately hardUtility report0
Iowa City764.4Moderately hardUtility report0
West Des Moines1357.9HardUtility report0
Ames1508.8HardUtility report0
Waterloo26415.4Very hardCounty estimate0
Dubuque19511.4Very hardCounty estimate0
Urbandale995.8Moderately hardUtility report0
Marion1287.5HardUtility report0
Cedar Falls26415.4Very hardCounty estimate0
Bettendorf1217.1HardUtility report0
Waukee30217.7Very hardCounty estimate0
Johnston1267.4HardUtility report0
Fort Dodge44025.7Very hardCounty estimate0
Muscatine24014.0Very hardCounty estimate0
Altoona29617.3Very hardCounty estimate1
North Liberty492.9SoftUtility report0
Clive684.0Moderately hardUtility report0
Norwalk1327.7HardUtility report0
Oskaloosa1106.4Moderately hardUtility report0
Hiawatha1257.3HardUtility report0
Polk City1518.8HardUtility report0

Questions

Is Iowa water hard?

The typical Iowa resident gets about 183 mg/L (10.7 gpg), which is very hard. About 83% of people in the cities we track have hard or very hard water.

Which city in Iowa has the hardest water?

Among 25 cities with pages here, Fort Dodge is highest at 440 mg/L.

Which city in Iowa has the softest water?

North Liberty, at 49 mg/L.

Other states

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness, CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.