How hard is the water in Lee's Summit, MO?

Tap water hardness
97mg/L
5.7gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Lees Summit PWS · October 2025

MO typical
121 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Lee's Summit water measures 97 mg/L (5.7 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Lees Summit PWS, dated October 2025.

Lee's Summit on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MO typical 121Raytown: 116 mg/LRaytown 116Belton: 116 mg/LBelton 116Kansas City: 116 mg/LKansas City 116North Kansas City: 116 mg/LNorth Kansas City 116Independence: 118 mg/LIndependence 118Oak Grove: 176 mg/LOak Grove 176Peculiar: 199 mg/LPeculiar 199Raymore: 219 mg/LRaymore 219Grandview: 310 mg/LGrandview 310Blue Springs: 310 mg/LBlue Springs 310Lee's Summit 97mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MO 121Raytown: 116 mg/LRaytown 116Belton: 116 mg/LBelton 116Independence: 118 mg/LIndependen. 118Raymore: 219 mg/LRaymore 219Grandview: 310 mg/LGrandview 310Blue Springs: 310 mg/LBlue Sprin. 31097 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 97 mg/L, Lee's Summit is 24 mg/L below the typical Missouri figure of 121. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 116 mg/L in Raytown to 310 in Grandview.

What 97 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

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

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Lee's Summit

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.7 gpg = 1,280 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 18 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Lee's Summit's water system

Lees Summit PWS · PWSID MO1010459

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 99,400 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
5
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 Lee's Summit water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 97 mg/L (5.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Lee's Summit in grains per gallon?

About 5.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 97 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.7.

What size water softener do I need in Lee's Summit?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.7 gpg works out to about 1,280 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 18 days.

Has the Lee's Summit water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Lees Summit PWS since 2016. There were also 5 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 90 cities in Missouri

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, October 7, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.