Hard water in New Prague, MN
Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · July 2022
- MN typical
- 160 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 48k grain
- Data
- Calculated from utility data
New Prague water measures 435 mg/L (25.4 gpg) of hardness, very hard by USGS standards. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (July 2022).
New Prague sits 275 mg/L above the typical Minnesota figure of 160. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 99 mg/L in Eden Prairie to 420 in Shakopee.
What 435 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 435 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 × 25.4 gpg = 5,726 grains a day. A 48,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.
EPA record for New Prague's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 8,247 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving New Prague.
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 New Prague water hard?
Yes. It measures about 435 mg/L (25.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in New Prague in grains per gallon?
About 25.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 435 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 25.4.
What size water softener do I need in New Prague?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 25.4 gpg works out to about 5,726 grains a day. A 48,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.
Has the New Prague water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for New Prague since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Prior Lake196 mg/LVery hard
- Shakopee420 mg/LVery hard
- Savage310 mg/LVery hard
- Lakeville270 mg/LVery hard
- Chaska230 mg/LVery hard
- Northfield322 mg/LVery hard
- Burnsville193 mg/LVery hard
- Chanhassen121 mg/LHard
- Farmington270 mg/LVery hard
- Eden Prairie99 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, July 13, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.