Hard water in Leawood, KS
Reported by Water District 1 of Johnson CO · September 2025
- KS typical
- 138 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Leawood carries roughly 135 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 7.9 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from Water District 1 of Johnson CO, dated September 2025.
At 135 mg/L, Leawood is close to the typical Kansas figure of 138 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 135 mg/L in Overland Park to 303 in Kansas City.
What 135 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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 135 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 × 7.9 gpg = 1,775 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 13 days.
EPA record for Leawood's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 490,000 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
TapWaterData ties Leawood to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Leawood, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
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 Leawood water hard?
Yes. It measures about 135 mg/L (7.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Leawood in grains per gallon?
About 7.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 135 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.9.
What size water softener do I need in Leawood?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.9 gpg works out to about 1,775 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 13 days.
Has the Leawood water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Water District 1 of Johnson CO since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Overland Park135 mg/LHard
- Prairie Village135 mg/LHard
- Mission135 mg/LHard
- Merriam135 mg/LHard
- Roeland Park135 mg/LHard
- Lenexa135 mg/LHard
- Olathe140 mg/LHard
- Shawnee135 mg/LHard
- Spring Hill135 mg/LHard
- Kansas City303 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 8, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.