How hard is the water in Dearborn Heights, MI?

Tap water hardness
104mg/L
6.1gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Dearborn · August 2025

MI typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Dearborn Heights has about 104 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.1 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Dearborn, dated August 2025.

Dearborn Heights on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MI typical 112Livonia: 89 mg/LLivonia 89Wayne: 91 mg/LWayne 91Westland: 96 mg/LWestland 96Dearborn: 99 mg/LDearborn 99Taylor: 102 mg/LTaylor 102Garden City: 104 mg/LGarden City 104Inkster: 104 mg/LInkster 104Allen Park: 104 mg/LAllen Park 104Melvindale: 104 mg/LMelvindale 104Lincoln Park: 128 mg/LLincoln Park 128Dearborn Heights 104mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MI 112Livonia: 89 mg/LLivonia 89Wayne: 91 mg/LWayne 91Westland: 96 mg/LWestland 96Dearborn: 99 mg/LDearborn 99Garden City: 104 mg/LGarden City 104Inkster: 104 mg/LInkster 104104 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Dearborn Heights sits close to the typical Michigan figure of 112 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 89 mg/L in Livonia to 128 in Lincoln Park.

What 104 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 Dearborn Heights

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.1 gpg = 1,372 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Dearborn Heights's water system

Dearborn Heights · PWSID MI0001740

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 57,774 people from surface water.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
14
Open now
3

EPA lists Dearborn Heights as the system serving Dearborn Heights. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Dearborn Heights.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling22020–20241 open

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 Dearborn Heights water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 104 mg/L (6.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Dearborn Heights in grains per gallon?

About 6.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 104 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.1.

What size water softener do I need in Dearborn Heights?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.1 gpg works out to about 1,372 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Dearborn Heights water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Dearborn Heights since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 14 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 118 cities in Michigan

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 1, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.