Hard water in Holly, MI
Reported by Holly, Village of · May 2022
- MI typical
- 112 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 32k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Holly has about 323 mg/L of hardness, which is 18.9 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as very hard. The number comes from Holly, Village of, dated May 2022.
At 323 mg/L, Holly is 211 mg/L above the typical Michigan figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 98 mg/L in Swartz Creek to 418 in Brighton.
What 323 mg/L means at home
Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.
Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.
Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.
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 323 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 × 18.9 gpg = 4,248 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.
EPA record for Holly's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 8,557 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 8
- Open now
- 3
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 1 | 2024 | 1 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 Holly water hard?
Yes. It measures about 323 mg/L (18.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Holly in grains per gallon?
About 18.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 323 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 18.9.
What size water softener do I need in Holly?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 18.9 gpg works out to about 4,248 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.
Has the Holly water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Holly, Village of since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 8 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Fenton315 mg/LVery hard
- Grand Blanc157 mg/LHard
- Burton150 mg/LHard
- Milford321 mg/LVery hard
- Swartz Creek98 mg/LModerately hard
- Flint137 mg/LHard
- Davison181 mg/LVery hard
- Pontiac121 mg/LHard
- Brighton418 mg/LVery hard
- Beecher144 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 31, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.