How hard is the water in Urbandale, IA?

Tap water hardness
99mg/L
5.8gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Urbandale Water Utility · August 2025

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

Tap water in Urbandale has about 99 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Urbandale Water Utility, dated August 2025.

Urbandale on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+IA typical 183Clive: 68 mg/LClive 68Ankeny: 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 302Urbandale 99mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+IA 183Clive: 68 mg/LClive 68Johnston: 126 mg/LJohnston 126West Des Moines: 135 mg/LWest Des M. 135Polk City: 151 mg/LPolk City 151Des Moines: 296 mg/LDes Moines 296Waukee: 302 mg/LWaukee 30299 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 99 mg/L, Urbandale is 84 mg/L below the typical Iowa figure of 183. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 68 mg/L in Clive to 302 in Waukee.

What 99 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 Urbandale

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.8 gpg = 1,303 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 18 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Urbandale's water system

Urbandale Water Utility · PWSID IA7780042

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 45,605 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 Urbandale water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 99 mg/L (5.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 99 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.8.

What size water softener do I need in Urbandale?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.8 gpg works out to about 1,303 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 18 days.

Has the Urbandale water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Urbandale Water Utility since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 25 cities in Iowa

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 12, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.