How hard is the water in Springfield, MO?

Tap water hardness
120mg/L
7.0gpg
Moderately hardReports range 120–173

Reported by Springfield PWS · April 2025

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

Springfield water measures 120 mg/L (7.0 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Springfield PWS, dated April 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 120 to 173 mg/L.

Springfield on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MO typical 121Willard: 153 mg/LWillard 153Republic: 155 mg/LRepublic 155Ozark: 178 mg/LOzark 178Monett: 180 mg/LMonett 180Battlefield: 190 mg/LBattlefield 190Branson: 198 mg/LBranson 198Aurora: 208 mg/LAurora 208Lebanon: 210 mg/LLebanon 210Nixa: 231 mg/LNixa 231Marshfield: 296 mg/LMarshfield 296Springfield 120mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MO 121Willard: 153 mg/LWillard 153Republic: 155 mg/LRepublic 155Ozark: 178 mg/LOzark 178Battlefield: 190 mg/LBattlefield 190Nixa: 231 mg/LNixa 231Marshfield: 296 mg/LMarshfield 296120 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Springfield sits close to the typical Missouri figure of 121 mg/L. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 153 mg/L in Willard to 296 in Marshfield.

What 120 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 Springfield

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 7.0 gpg = 1,573 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 15 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Springfield's water system

City Utilities of Springfield · PWSID MO5010754

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 210,898 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
2
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 Springfield water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 120 mg/L (7.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 7.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 120 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 7.0.

What size water softener do I need in Springfield?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 7.0 gpg works out to about 1,573 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 15 days.

Has the Springfield water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for City Utilities of Springfield since 2016. There were also 2 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, April 3, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.