How hard is the water in North Kansas City, MO?

Tap water hardness
116mg/L
6.8gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Kansas City PWS · October 2025

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

Tap water in North Kansas City has about 116 mg/L of hardness, which is 6.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Kansas City PWS, dated October 2025.

North Kansas City on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MO typical 121Lee's Summit: 97 mg/LLee's Summit 97Smithville: 106 mg/LSmithville 106Kansas City: 116 mg/LKansas City 116Raytown: 116 mg/LRaytown 116Gladstone: 117 mg/LGladstone 117Independence: 118 mg/LIndependence 118Liberty: 162 mg/LLiberty 162Parkville: 172 mg/LParkville 172Grandview: 310 mg/LGrandview 310Blue Springs: 310 mg/LBlue Springs 310North Kansas City 116mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MO 121Kansas City: 116 mg/LKansas City 116Raytown: 116 mg/LRaytown 116Gladstone: 117 mg/LGladstone 117Independence: 118 mg/LIndependen. 118Liberty: 162 mg/LLiberty 162Parkville: 172 mg/LParkville 172116 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 116 mg/L, North Kansas City is close to the typical Missouri figure of 121 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 97 mg/L in Lee's Summit to 310 in Grandview.

What 116 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 North Kansas City

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.8 gpg = 1,528 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for North Kansas City's water system

North Kansas City PWS · PWSID MO1010580

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 4,500 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
4
Open now
1

EPA lists North Kansas City PWS as the system serving North Kansas City. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for North Kansas City.

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 North Kansas City water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 116 mg/L (6.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in North Kansas City in grains per gallon?

About 6.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 116 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.8.

What size water softener do I need in North Kansas City?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.8 gpg works out to about 1,528 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.

Has the North Kansas City water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for North Kansas City PWS 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 (utility report, October 6, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.