Hard water in Arkansas City, KS
Reported by Arkansas City, City of · June 2022
- KS typical
- 138 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Arkansas City carries roughly 206 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 12.1 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Arkansas City, City of, dated June 2022.
At 206 mg/L, Arkansas City is 68 mg/L above the typical Kansas figure of 138. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 117 mg/L in El Dorado to 268 in Goddard.
What 206 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 206 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 × 12.1 gpg = 2,711 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.
EPA record for Arkansas City's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 11,929 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 11
- 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 Arkansas City water hard?
Yes. It measures about 206 mg/L (12.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Arkansas City in grains per gallon?
About 12.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 206 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 12.1.
What size water softener do I need in Arkansas City?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 12.1 gpg works out to about 2,711 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.
Has the Arkansas City water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Arkansas City, City of since 2016. There were also 11 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Winfield136 mg/LHard
- Mulvane128 mg/LHard
- Derby133 mg/LHard
- Haysville225 mg/LVery hard
- Augusta120 mg/LModerately hard
- Wichita138 mg/LHard
- Goddard268 mg/LVery hard
- El Dorado117 mg/LModerately hard
- Park City138 mg/LHard
- Valley Center133 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 14, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.