Hard water in South Lyon, MI

Tap water hardness
460mg/L
26.9gpg
Very hard

Reported by South Lyon, City of · May 2022

MI typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
48k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in South Lyon has about 460 mg/L of hardness, which is 26.9 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as very hard. The number comes from South Lyon, City of, dated May 2022.

South Lyon on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MI typical 112Livonia: 89 mg/LLivonia 89Plymouth: 104 mg/LPlymouth 104Novi: 116 mg/LNovi 116Farmington Hills: 119 mg/LFarmington Hills 119Northville: 132 mg/LNorthville 132Ann Arbor: 156 mg/LAnn Arbor 156Ypsilanti: 168 mg/LYpsilanti 168Whitmore Lake: 184 mg/LWhitmore Lake 184Milford: 321 mg/LMilford 321Brighton: 418 mg/LBrighton 418South Lyon 460off the scalemg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MI 112Plymouth: 104 mg/LPlymouth 104Novi: 116 mg/LNovi 116Northville: 132 mg/LNorthville 132Whitmore Lake: 184 mg/LWhitmore L. 184Milford: 321 mg/LMilford 321Brighton: 418 mg/LBrighton 418460 mg/Loff the scalemg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

South Lyon sits 348 mg/L above the typical Michigan figure of 112. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 89 mg/L in Livonia to 418 in Brighton.

What 460 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 460 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.

Softener size for South Lyon

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 26.9 gpg = 6,048 grains a day. A 48,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for South Lyon's water system

South Lyon, City of · PWSID MI0006110

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 11,055 people from groundwater.

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 South Lyon water hard?

Yes. It measures about 460 mg/L (26.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

What is the water hardness in South Lyon in grains per gallon?

About 26.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 460 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 26.9.

What size water softener do I need in South Lyon?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 26.9 gpg works out to about 6,048 grains a day. A 48,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.

Has the South Lyon water system had EPA violations?

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

Nearby cities

All 118 cities in Michigan

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.