Hard water in Paris, KY
Reported by Kentucky American Water- Millersburg · July 2023
- KY typical
- 134 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 8
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Paris carries roughly 144 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 8.4 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from Kentucky American Water- Millersburg, dated July 2023.
At 144 mg/L, Paris is close to the typical Kentucky figure of 134 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 70 mg/L in Union to 199 in Frankfort.
What 144 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 144 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 × 8.4 gpg = 1,894 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 12 days.
EPA record for Paris's water system
8 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 14,139 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 8
- Monitoring or reporting
- 9
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists Paris Water Works as the system serving Paris. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Paris.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection | 3 | 2018–2025 | Resolved |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct | 5 | 2019–2020 | 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 Paris water hard?
Yes. It measures about 144 mg/L (8.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Paris in grains per gallon?
About 8.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 144 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.4.
What size water softener do I need in Paris?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.4 gpg works out to about 1,894 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 12 days.
Has the Paris water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 8 health-based violations for Paris Water Works since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule, Haloacetic acids (HAA5). There were also 9 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Lexington158 mg/LHard
- Nicholasville160 mg/LHard
- Frankfort199 mg/LVery hard
- Richmond186 mg/LVery hard
- Walton110 mg/LModerately hard
- Alexandria110 mg/LModerately hard
- Independence110 mg/LModerately hard
- Union70 mg/LModerately hard
- Cold Spring110 mg/LModerately hard
- Taylor Mill110 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, July 12, 2023), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.