Hard water in Paola, KS
Reported by Miami CO RWD 2 · March 2024
- KS typical
- 138 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 2
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Paola has about 133 mg/L of hardness, which is 7.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Miami CO RWD 2, dated March 2024.
At 133 mg/L, Paola 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 133 mg/L in Louisburg to 144 in Ottawa.
What 133 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 133 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 × 7.8 gpg = 1,750 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 13 days.
EPA record for Paola's water system
2 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 10,311 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 2
- Monitoring or reporting
- 9
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection | 1 | 2021 | Resolved |
| Coliform bacteriabacteria | 1 | 2016 | Resolved |
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 Paola water hard?
Yes. It measures about 133 mg/L (7.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Paola in grains per gallon?
About 7.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 133 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.8.
What size water softener do I need in Paola?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.8 gpg works out to about 1,750 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 13 days.
Has the Paola water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Miami CO RWD 2 since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule, Coliform bacteria. There were also 9 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Louisburg133 mg/LHard
- Spring Hill135 mg/LHard
- Gardner135 mg/LHard
- Olathe140 mg/LHard
- Ottawa144 mg/LHard
- Overland Park135 mg/LHard
- De Soto135 mg/LHard
- Leawood135 mg/LHard
- Lenexa135 mg/LHard
- Shawnee135 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, March 19, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.