How hard is the water in Paducah, KY?

Tap water hardness
63mg/L
3.7gpg
Moderately hardCounty estimate

County estimate from 509 water samples in McCracken County · July 2026

KY typical
134 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Paducah put hardness at about 63 mg/L (3.7 gpg), which would be moderately hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 509 samples taken across McCracken County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Paducah's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Paducah's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Paducah on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+KY typical 134Hopkinsville: 86 mg/LHopkinsville 86Owensboro: 116 mg/LOwensboro 116Louisville: 134 mg/LLouisville 134St. Matthews: 134 mg/LSt. Matthews 134Bowling Green: 135 mg/LBowling Green 135Nicholasville: 160 mg/LNicholasville 160Radcliff: 186 mg/LRadcliff 186Elizabethtown: 186 mg/LElizabethtown 186Henderson: 198 mg/LHenderson 198Frankfort: 199 mg/LFrankfort 199Paducah 63mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+KY 134Hopkinsville: 86 mg/LHopkinsvil. 86Owensboro: 116 mg/LOwensboro 116Bowling Green: 135 mg/LBowling Gr. 135Radcliff: 186 mg/LRadcliff 186Elizabethtown: 186 mg/LElizabetht. 186Henderson: 198 mg/LHenderson 19863 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 63 mg/L, Paducah is 71 mg/L below the typical Kentucky figure of 134. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 86 mg/L in Hopkinsville to 199 in Frankfort.

What 63 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 Paducah

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 3.7 gpg = 833 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 28 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Paducah's water system

Paducah Water Works · PWSID KY0730533

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 65,004 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Paducah.

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 Paducah water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 63 mg/L (3.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 3.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 63 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.7.

What size water softener do I need in Paducah?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 3.7 gpg works out to about 833 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 28 days.

Has the Paducah water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Paducah Water Works since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 37 cities in Kentucky

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.