Hard water in Fremont, NE
County estimate from 519 water samples in Dodge County · July 2026
- NE typical
- 149 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 32k grain
- Data
- County estimate
Water samples from around Fremont put hardness at about 315 mg/L (18.4 gpg), which would be very hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 519 samples taken across Dodge County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Fremont's treated tap water.
At 315 mg/L, Fremont is 166 mg/L above the typical Nebraska figure of 149. None of the 5 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 149 mg/L in Omaha to 234 in Papillion.
What 315 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 315 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 × 18.4 gpg = 4,144 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.
EPA record for Fremont's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 27,230 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving Fremont.
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 Fremont water hard?
Yes. It measures about 315 mg/L (18.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Fremont in grains per gallon?
About 18.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 315 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 18.4.
What size water softener do I need in Fremont?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 18.4 gpg works out to about 4,144 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.
Has the Fremont water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Fremont, City of since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Omaha149 mg/LHard
- Papillion234 mg/LVery hard
- Bellevue172 mg/LHard
- Lincoln215 mg/LVery hard
- North Platte211 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.