How hard is the water in Novi, MI?

Tap water hardness
116mg/L
6.8gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Novi, City of · July 2025

MI typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Novi has about 116 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Novi, City of, dated July 2025.

Novi on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MI typical 112Livonia: 89 mg/LLivonia 89Beverly Hills: 90 mg/LBeverly Hills 90Westland: 96 mg/LWestland 96Plymouth: 104 mg/LPlymouth 104Garden City: 104 mg/LGarden City 104Farmington Hills: 119 mg/LFarmington Hills 119Northville: 132 mg/LNorthville 132Whitmore Lake: 184 mg/LWhitmore Lake 184Milford: 321 mg/LMilford 321South Lyon: 460 mg/LSouth Lyon 460Novi 116mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MI 112Livonia: 89 mg/LLivonia 89Plymouth: 104 mg/LPlymouth 104Farmington Hills: 119 mg/LFarmington. 119Northville: 132 mg/LNorthville 132Milford: 321 mg/LMilford 321South Lyon: 460 mg/LSouth Lyon 460116 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Novi sits close to the typical Michigan figure of 112 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 89 mg/L in Livonia to 460 in South Lyon.

What 116 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 Novi

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.8 gpg = 1,523 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Novi's water system

Novi, City of · PWSID MI0004870

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 56,780 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

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 Novi water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 116 mg/L (6.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 116 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.8.

What size water softener do I need in Novi?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.8 gpg works out to about 1,523 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.

Has the Novi water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Novi, City of since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 118 cities in Michigan

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, July 24, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.