How hard is the water in Howell, MI?
Reported by Mhog Sewer & Water Authority · May 2024
- MI typical
- 112 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Howell has about 117 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.9 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Mhog Sewer & Water Authority, dated May 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 117 to 152 mg/L.
Howell sits close to the typical Michigan figure of 112 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 98 mg/L in Swartz Creek to 460 in South Lyon.
What 117 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.9 gpg = 1,544 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.
EPA record for Howell's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 9,914 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 1
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists Howell, City of as the system serving Howell. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Howell.
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 Howell water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 117 mg/L (6.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in Howell in grains per gallon?
About 6.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 117 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.9.
What size water softener do I need in Howell?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.9 gpg works out to about 1,544 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.
Has the Howell water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Howell, City of since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Brighton418 mg/LVery hard
- Whitmore Lake184 mg/LVery hard
- Milford321 mg/LVery hard
- Fenton315 mg/LVery hard
- South Lyon460 mg/LVery hard
- Holly323 mg/LVery hard
- Novi116 mg/LModerately hard
- Ann Arbor156 mg/LHard
- Swartz Creek98 mg/LModerately hard
- Okemos425 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 2, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.