Hard water in Faribault, MN

Tap water hardness
302mg/L
17.7gpg
Very hard

Reported by Faribault · September 2022

MN typical
160 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
32k grain
Data
Utility report

Faribault water measures 302 mg/L (17.7 gpg) of hardness, very hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Faribault, dated September 2022.

Faribault on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MN typical 160Burnsville: 193 mg/LBurnsville 193Prior Lake: 196 mg/LPrior Lake 196Farmington: 270 mg/LFarmington 270Lakeville: 270 mg/LLakeville 270Rosemount: 270 mg/LRosemount 270Savage: 310 mg/LSavage 310Northfield: 322 mg/LNorthfield 322Mankato: 344 mg/LMankato 344New Prague: 435 mg/LNew Prague 435Shakopee: 420 mg/LShakopee 420Faribault 302mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MN 160Prior Lake: 196 mg/LPrior Lake 196Farmington: 270 mg/LFarmington 270Lakeville: 270 mg/LLakeville 270Savage: 310 mg/LSavage 310Northfield: 322 mg/LNorthfield 322New Prague: 435 mg/LNew Prague 435302 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Faribault sits 142 mg/L above the typical Minnesota figure of 160. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 193 mg/L in Burnsville to 435 in New Prague.

What 302 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 302 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 Faribault

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 17.7 gpg = 3,974 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Faribault's water system

Faribault · PWSID MN1660002

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 23,718 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 Faribault water hard?

Yes. It measures about 302 mg/L (17.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

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

About 17.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 302 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 17.7.

What size water softener do I need in Faribault?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 17.7 gpg works out to about 3,974 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.

Has the Faribault water system had EPA violations?

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

Nearby cities

All 57 cities in Minnesota

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 20, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.