How hard is the water in Murfreesboro, TN?

Tap water hardness
101mg/L
5.9gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Consolidated U.d. of Rutherford · July 2025

TN typical
89 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Murfreesboro water measures 101 mg/L (5.9 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Consolidated U.d. of Rutherford, dated July 2025.

Murfreesboro on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TN typical 89Nolensville: 62 mg/LNolensville 62Lebanon: 78 mg/LLebanon 78Brentwood: 89 mg/LBrentwood 89Mount Juliet: 89 mg/LMount Juliet 89Green Hill: 89 mg/LGreen Hill 89Franklin: 98 mg/LFranklin 98Shelbyville: 130 mg/LShelbyville 130Spring Hill: 138 mg/LSpring Hill 138Smyrna: 200 mg/LSmyrna 200La Vergne: 200 mg/LLa Vergne 200Murfreesboro 101mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TN 89Nolensville: 62 mg/LNolensville 62Lebanon: 78 mg/LLebanon 78Brentwood: 89 mg/LBrentwood 89Mount Juliet: 89 mg/LMount Juli. 89Smyrna: 200 mg/LSmyrna 200La Vergne: 200 mg/LLa Vergne 200101 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Murfreesboro sits 12 mg/L above the typical Tennessee figure of 89. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 62 mg/L in Nolensville to 200 in Smyrna.

What 101 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 Murfreesboro

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.9 gpg = 1,332 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 18 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Murfreesboro's water system

Consolidated U.d. of Rutherford CO · PWSID TN0000791

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 221,871 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
0
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection12016Resolved

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 Murfreesboro water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 101 mg/L (5.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 101 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.9.

What size water softener do I need in Murfreesboro?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.9 gpg works out to about 1,332 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 18 days.

Has the Murfreesboro water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Consolidated U.d. of Rutherford CO since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule.

Nearby cities

All 44 cities in Tennessee

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, July 28, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.