Sault Ste. Marie, MI water hardness

Tap water hardness
53mg/L
3.1gpg
Soft

Reported by Sault Ste Marie · February 2025

MI typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Sault Ste. Marie has about 53 mg/L of hardness, which is 3.1 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. The number comes from Sault Ste Marie, dated February 2025.

Sault Ste. Marie on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MI typical 112Marquette: 110 mg/LMarquette 110Bay City: 128 mg/LBay City 128Escanaba: 131 mg/LEscanaba 131Cadillac: 147 mg/LCadillac 147Traverse City: 163 mg/LTraverse City 163Big Rapids: 172 mg/LBig Rapids 172Mount Pleasant: 225 mg/LMount Pleasant 225Alpena: 273 mg/LAlpena 273Petoskey: 274 mg/LPetoskey 274Iron Mountain: 274 mg/LIron Mountain 274Sault Ste. Marie 53mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MI 112Marquette: 110 mg/LMarquette 110Escanaba: 131 mg/LEscanaba 131Cadillac: 147 mg/LCadillac 147Traverse City: 163 mg/LTraverse C. 163Alpena: 273 mg/LAlpena 273Petoskey: 274 mg/LPetoskey 27453 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 53 mg/L, Sault Ste. Marie is 59 mg/L below the typical Michigan figure of 112. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 110 mg/L in Marquette to 274 in Petoskey.

What 53 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 53 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Sault Ste. Marie's water system

Sault Ste Marie · PWSID MI0005950

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 14,689 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
7
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Disinfection byproducts rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Disinfection byproducts rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Disinfection byproducts ruletreatment requirement12020Resolved

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 Sault Ste. Marie water hard?

No. It measures about 53 mg/L (3.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Sault Ste. Marie in grains per gallon?

About 3.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 53 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 3.1.

Has the Sault Ste. Marie water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Sault Ste Marie since 2016, involving Disinfection byproducts rule. There were also 7 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, February 10, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.