Hard water in Cloquet, MN

Tap water hardness
214mg/L
12.5gpg
Very hard

Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · March 2025

MN typical
160 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Calculated from utility data

Tap water in Cloquet has about 214 mg/L of hardness, which is 12.5 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as very hard. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (March 2025).

Cloquet on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MN typical 160Lino Lakes: 39 mg/LLino Lakes 39Duluth: 43 mg/LDuluth 43Elk River: 170 mg/LElk River 170Blaine: 191 mg/LBlaine 191Forest Lake: 200 mg/LForest Lake 200Andover: 200 mg/LAndover 200Coon Rapids: 201 mg/LCoon Rapids 201Brainerd: 215 mg/LBrainerd 215St. Cloud: 240 mg/LSt. Cloud 240Sartell: 352 mg/LSartell 352Cloquet 214mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MN 160Duluth: 43 mg/LDuluth 43Elk River: 170 mg/LElk River 170Forest Lake: 200 mg/LForest Lake 200Andover: 200 mg/LAndover 200Brainerd: 215 mg/LBrainerd 215Sartell: 352 mg/LSartell 352214 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 214 mg/L, Cloquet is 54 mg/L above the typical Minnesota figure of 160. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 39 mg/L in Lino Lakes to 352 in Sartell.

What 214 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 214 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 Cloquet

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 12.5 gpg = 2,815 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Cloquet's water system

Cloquet · PWSID MN1090005

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 12,864 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Cloquet.

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 Cloquet water hard?

Yes. It measures about 214 mg/L (12.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

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

About 12.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 214 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 12.5.

What size water softener do I need in Cloquet?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 12.5 gpg works out to about 2,815 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.

Has the Cloquet water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Cloquet since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 57 cities in Minnesota

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, March 27, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.