Jackson, MS water hardness

Tap water hardness
38mg/L
2.2gpg
Soft

Reported by City of Jackson · May 2025

MS typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
37
Data
Utility report

Jackson water measures 38 mg/L (2.2 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from City of Jackson, dated May 2025.

Jackson on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MS typical 38Bay St. Louis: 4 mg/LBay St. Louis 4Meridian: 15 mg/LMeridian 15Clinton: 38 mg/LClinton 38Byram: 38 mg/LByram 38Columbus: 51 mg/LColumbus 51Oxford: 77 mg/LOxford 77Jackson 38mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MS 38Bay St. Louis: 4 mg/LBay St. Lo. 4Meridian: 15 mg/LMeridian 15Clinton: 38 mg/LClinton 38Byram: 38 mg/LByram 38Columbus: 51 mg/LColumbus 51Oxford: 77 mg/LOxford 7738 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Jackson sits close to the typical Mississippi figure of 38 mg/L. Of the 6 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 4 mg/L in Bay St. Louis to 77 in Oxford.

What 38 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 38 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Jackson's water system

City of Jackson · PWSID MS0250008

37 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 189,673 people from surface water.

Health-based
37
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
1
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Lead and Copper RuleSurface Water Treatment RuleSurface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)'16'18'20'22'24'26Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)Haloacetic acids (HAA5)Lead and Copper RuleSurface Water Treatment RuleSurface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Total trihalomethanes (TTHM)a disinfection byproduct42024–2025Resolved
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)a disinfection byproduct52020–2025Resolved
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling162016–20241 open
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection82020–2022Resolved
Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)filtration and disinfection42020–2021Resolved

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 Jackson water hard?

No. It measures about 38 mg/L (2.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 2.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 38 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 2.2.

Has the Jackson water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 37 health-based violations for City of Jackson since 2016, involving Total trihalomethanes (TTHM), Haloacetic acids (HAA5), Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 2 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 7 cities in Mississippi

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 10, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.