How hard is the water in Clive, IA?

Tap water hardness
68mg/L
4.0gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Clive Water Department · September 2025

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

Clive water measures 68 mg/L (4.0 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Clive Water Department, dated September 2025.

Clive on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IA typical 183Urbandale: 99 mg/LUrbandale 99Ankeny: 120 mg/LAnkeny 120Johnston: 126 mg/LJohnston 126Norwalk: 132 mg/LNorwalk 132West Des Moines: 135 mg/LWest Des Moines 135Ames: 150 mg/LAmes 150Polk City: 151 mg/LPolk City 151Des Moines: 296 mg/LDes Moines 296Altoona: 296 mg/LAltoona 296Waukee: 302 mg/LWaukee 302Clive 68mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IA 183Urbandale: 99 mg/LUrbandale 99Johnston: 126 mg/LJohnston 126Norwalk: 132 mg/LNorwalk 132West Des Moines: 135 mg/LWest Des M. 135Des Moines: 296 mg/LDes Moines 296Waukee: 302 mg/LWaukee 30268 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 68 mg/L, Clive is 115 mg/L below the typical Iowa figure of 183. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 99 mg/L in Urbandale to 302 in Waukee.

What 68 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 Clive

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.0 gpg = 898 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 26 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Clive's water system

Clive Water Department · PWSID IA7720051

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 20,277 people from surface water.

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 Clive water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 68 mg/L (4.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 68 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.0.

What size water softener do I need in Clive?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.0 gpg works out to about 898 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 26 days.

Has the Clive water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Clive Water Department since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 25 cities in Iowa

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 23, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.