Hard water in Newton, KS
Reported by Harvey CO RWD 1 · June 2022
- KS typical
- 138 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Newton has about 260 mg/L of hardness, which is 15.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as very hard. The number comes from Harvey CO RWD 1, dated June 2022.
At 260 mg/L, Newton is 122 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 363 in McPherson.
What 260 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 260 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 × 15.2 gpg = 3,420 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.
EPA record for Newton's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 18,433 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists Newton, City of as the system serving Newton. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Newton.
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 Newton water hard?
Yes. It measures about 260 mg/L (15.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Newton in grains per gallon?
About 15.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 260 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 15.2.
What size water softener do I need in Newton?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 15.2 gpg works out to about 3,420 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.
Has the Newton water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Newton, City of since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Valley Center133 mg/LHard
- Park City138 mg/LHard
- Wichita138 mg/LHard
- Goddard268 mg/LVery hard
- McPherson363 mg/LVery hard
- El Dorado117 mg/LModerately hard
- Augusta120 mg/LModerately hard
- Haysville225 mg/LVery hard
- Derby133 mg/LHard
- Mulvane128 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 13, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.