How hard is the water in Union, KY?

Tap water hardness
70mg/L
4.1gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Boone CO Water & Sewer District · October 2024

KY typical
134 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
28
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Union water measures 70 mg/L (4.1 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Boone CO Water & Sewer District, dated October 2024.

Union on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+KY typical 134Oakbrook: 70 mg/LOakbrook 70Florence: 70 mg/LFlorence 70Burlington: 70 mg/LBurlington 70Hebron: 70 mg/LHebron 70Elsmere: 110 mg/LElsmere 110Walton: 110 mg/LWalton 110Independence: 110 mg/LIndependence 110Edgewood: 110 mg/LEdgewood 110Erlanger: 110 mg/LErlanger 110Villa Hills: 110 mg/LVilla Hills 110Union 70mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+KY 134Oakbrook: 70 mg/LOakbrook 70Florence: 70 mg/LFlorence 70Burlington: 70 mg/LBurlington 70Elsmere: 110 mg/LElsmere 110Walton: 110 mg/LWalton 110Independence: 110 mg/LIndependen. 11070 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 70 mg/L, Union is 64 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 70 mg/L in Oakbrook to 110 in Elsmere.

What 70 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 Union

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.1 gpg = 922 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 26 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Union's water system

Union County Water District · PWSID KY1130433

28 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 6,117 people from surface water.

Health-based
28
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists Union County Water District as the system serving Union. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Union.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic acids (HAA5)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct162016–2026Resolved
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct122016–2026Resolved

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 Union water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 70 mg/L (4.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 70 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.1.

What size water softener do I need in Union?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.1 gpg works out to about 922 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 26 days.

Has the Union water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 28 health-based violations for Union County Water District since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Haloacetic acids (HAA5).

Nearby cities

All 37 cities in Kentucky

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 1, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.