How hard is the water in Bozeman, MT?

Tap water hardness
92mg/L
5.4gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Bozeman City of · December 2024

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

Tap water in Bozeman has about 92 mg/L of hardness, which is 5.4 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as moderately hard. The number comes from Bozeman City of, dated December 2024.

Bozeman on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MT typical 116Kalispell: 73 mg/LKalispell 73Butte: 97 mg/LButte 97Missoula: 116 mg/LMissoula 116Orchard Homes: 116 mg/LOrchard Homes 116Great Falls: 145 mg/LGreat Falls 145Billings: 159 mg/LBillings 159Belgrade: 226 mg/LBelgrade 226Sidney: 491 mg/LSidney 491Bozeman 92mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MT 116Butte: 97 mg/LButte 97Missoula: 116 mg/LMissoula 116Orchard Homes: 116 mg/LOrchard Ho. 116Great Falls: 145 mg/LGreat Falls 145Billings: 159 mg/LBillings 159Belgrade: 226 mg/LBelgrade 22692 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 92 mg/L, Bozeman is 24 mg/L below the typical Montana figure of 116. Of the 8 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 73 mg/L in Kalispell to 491 in Sidney.

What 92 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 Bozeman

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.4 gpg = 1,210 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 19 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Bozeman's water system

Bozeman City of · PWSID MT0000161

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 56,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Bozeman water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 92 mg/L (5.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 92 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.4.

What size water softener do I need in Bozeman?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.4 gpg works out to about 1,210 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 19 days.

Has the Bozeman water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Bozeman City of since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 9 cities in Montana

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, December 3, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.