Hard water in Progreso, TX
Reported by Military Hwy WSC Progreso · June 2022
- TX typical
- 112 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Progreso has about 173 mg/L of hardness, which is 10.1 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Military Hwy WSC Progreso, dated June 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 173 to 218 mg/L.
At 173 mg/L, Progreso is 61 mg/L above the typical Texas figure of 112. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 149 mg/L in La Feria to 216 in Donna.
What 173 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 173 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 × 10.1 gpg = 2,277 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.
EPA record for Progreso's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 12,198 people from groundwater.
- 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 Progreso water hard?
Yes. It measures about 173 mg/L (10.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Progreso in grains per gallon?
About 10.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 173 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 10.1.
What size water softener do I need in Progreso?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 10.1 gpg works out to about 2,277 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.
Has the Progreso water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Military Hwy WSC Progreso since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Mercedes166 mg/LHard
- Weslaco164 mg/LHard
- Donna216 mg/LVery hard
- Mila Doce161 mg/LHard
- La Feria149 mg/LHard
- Olivarez161 mg/LHard
- Alamo166 mg/LHard
- San Juan162 mg/LHard
- Elsa161 mg/LHard
- Pharr210 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, June 30, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.