Hard water in Burton, MI
Reported by Charter Township of Grand Blanc · June 2022
- MI typical
- 112 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 2
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Burton carries roughly 150 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 8.7 grains per gallon. That is hard water. The number comes from Charter Township of Grand Blanc, dated June 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 109 to 150 mg/L.
At 150 mg/L, Burton is 38 mg/L above the typical Michigan figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 98 mg/L in Swartz Creek to 354 in Lapeer.
What 150 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 150 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 × 8.7 gpg = 1,966 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 12 days.
EPA record for Burton's water system
2 health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 21,000 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 2
- Monitoring or reporting
- 5
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists Burton, City of as the system serving Burton. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Burton.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 2 | 2020–2026 | 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 Burton water hard?
Yes. It measures about 150 mg/L (8.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Burton in grains per gallon?
About 8.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 150 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.7.
What size water softener do I need in Burton?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.7 gpg works out to about 1,966 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 12 days.
Has the Burton water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Burton, City of since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 5 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Flint137 mg/LHard
- Grand Blanc157 mg/LHard
- Davison181 mg/LVery hard
- Beecher144 mg/LHard
- Swartz Creek98 mg/LModerately hard
- Flushing113 mg/LModerately hard
- Holly323 mg/LVery hard
- Fenton315 mg/LVery hard
- Lapeer354 mg/LVery hard
- Owosso339 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 30, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.