Hard water in Marshfield, MO
Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · December 2020
- MO typical
- 121 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 32k grain
- Data
- Calculated from utility data
The water in Marshfield carries roughly 296 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 17.3 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (December 2020).
Marshfield sits 175 mg/L above the typical Missouri figure of 121. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 120 mg/L in Springfield to 265 in Waynesville.
What 296 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 296 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 × 17.3 gpg = 3,899 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.
EPA record for Marshfield's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 7,425 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 1
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving Marshfield.
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 Marshfield water hard?
Yes. It measures about 296 mg/L (17.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Marshfield in grains per gallon?
About 17.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 296 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 17.3.
What size water softener do I need in Marshfield?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 17.3 gpg works out to about 3,899 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.
Has the Marshfield water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Marshfield PWS since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Springfield120 mg/LModerately hard
- Lebanon210 mg/LVery hard
- Ozark178 mg/LHard
- Willard153 mg/LHard
- Battlefield190 mg/LVery hard
- Nixa231 mg/LVery hard
- Republic155 mg/LHard
- Waynesville265 mg/LVery hard
- Aurora208 mg/LVery hard
- Fort Leonard Wood216 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, December 16, 2020), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.