How hard is the water in Murphy, MO?

Tap water hardness
104mg/L
6.0gpg
Moderately hard

Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · November 2020

MO typical
121 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Calculated from utility data

Tap water in Murphy has about 104 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (November 2020).

Murphy on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MO typical 121Eureka: 79 mg/LEureka 79Chesterfield: 121 mg/LChesterfield 121Kirkwood: 130 mg/LKirkwood 130Ladue: 155 mg/LLadue 155Pacific: 197 mg/LPacific 197Arnold: 212 mg/LArnold 212Town and Country: 234 mg/LTown and Country 234Ballwin: 242 mg/LBallwin 242Des Peres: 263 mg/LDes Peres 263Pevely: 308 mg/LPevely 308Murphy 104mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MO 121Eureka: 79 mg/LEureka 79Kirkwood: 130 mg/LKirkwood 130Arnold: 212 mg/LArnold 212Town and Country: 234 mg/LTown and C. 234Ballwin: 242 mg/LBallwin 242Des Peres: 263 mg/LDes Peres 263104 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Murphy sits 17 mg/L below the typical Missouri figure of 121. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 79 mg/L in Eureka to 308 in Pevely.

What 104 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 Murphy

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.0 gpg = 1,361 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Murphy's water system

Jefferson County PWSD 2 · PWSID MO6024293

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 16,548 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
4
Open now
0

EPA lists this system as serving Murphy.

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 Murphy water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 104 mg/L (6.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 6.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 104 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.0.

What size water softener do I need in Murphy?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.0 gpg works out to about 1,361 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Murphy water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Jefferson County PWSD 2 since 2016. There were also 4 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 (calculated from utility data, November 23, 2020), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.