Hard water in Mission, TX
Reported by Agua SUD · December 2024
- TX typical
- 112 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Mission water measures 177 mg/L (10.4 gpg) of hardness, hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Agua SUD, dated December 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 177 to 273 mg/L.
At 177 mg/L, Mission is 65 mg/L above the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 159 mg/L in Alton to 211 in McAllen.
What 177 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
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 177 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 × 10.4 gpg = 2,331 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.
EPA record for Mission's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 53,796 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorite | 1 | 2023 | Resolved |
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 Mission water hard?
Yes. It measures about 177 mg/L (10.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Mission in grains per gallon?
About 10.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 177 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 10.4.
What size water softener do I need in Mission?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 10.4 gpg works out to about 2,331 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.
Has the Mission water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Agua SUD since 2016, involving Chlorite.
Nearby cities
- Palmview198 mg/LVery hard
- McAllen211 mg/LVery hard
- La Homa185 mg/LVery hard
- Alton159 mg/LHard
- Doffing199 mg/LVery hard
- Penitas199 mg/LVery hard
- Hidalgo161 mg/LHard
- Pharr210 mg/LVery hard
- La Joya179 mg/LHard
- San Juan162 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, December 16, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.