Hard water in Festus, MO
Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · February 2021
- MO typical
- 121 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Calculated from utility data
The water in Festus carries roughly 247 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 14.4 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (February 2021).
At 247 mg/L, Festus is 126 mg/L above the typical Missouri figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 79 mg/L in Eureka to 346 in Herculaneum.
What 247 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 247 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 × 14.4 gpg = 3,247 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.
EPA record for Festus's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 13,000 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving Festus.
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 Festus water hard?
Yes. It measures about 247 mg/L (14.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Festus in grains per gallon?
About 14.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 247 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 14.4.
What size water softener do I need in Festus?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 14.4 gpg works out to about 3,247 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.
Has the Festus water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Festus PWS since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Herculaneum346 mg/LVery hard
- Pevely308 mg/LVery hard
- De Soto312 mg/LVery hard
- Arnold212 mg/LVery hard
- Murphy104 mg/LModerately hard
- Bonne Terre339 mg/LVery hard
- Eureka79 mg/LModerately hard
- Kirkwood130 mg/LHard
- Pacific197 mg/LVery hard
- Des Peres263 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, February 12, 2021), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.