Hard water in Blaine, MN
Reported by Blaine · September 2025
- MN typical
- 160 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Blaine carries roughly 191 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 11.2 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Blaine, dated September 2025.
At 191 mg/L, Blaine is 31 mg/L above the typical Minnesota figure of 160. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 39 mg/L in Lino Lakes to 254 in St. Anthony.
What 191 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 191 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 × 11.2 gpg = 2,513 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 9 days.
EPA record for Blaine's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 70,220 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 Blaine water hard?
Yes. It measures about 191 mg/L (11.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Blaine in grains per gallon?
About 11.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 191 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 11.2.
What size water softener do I need in Blaine?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 11.2 gpg works out to about 2,513 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 9 days.
Has the Blaine water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Blaine since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Lino Lakes39 mg/LSoft
- Coon Rapids201 mg/LVery hard
- Shoreview192 mg/LVery hard
- New Brighton230 mg/LVery hard
- Brooklyn Park120 mg/LModerately hard
- Andover200 mg/LVery hard
- Champlin234 mg/LVery hard
- Brooklyn Center79 mg/LModerately hard
- St. Anthony254 mg/LVery hard
- Roseville78 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 8, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.