Rusk, TX water hardness

Tap water hardness
3mg/L
0.2gpg
Soft

Calculated from the utility's calcium and magnesium results · June 2022

TX typical
112 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Data
Calculated from utility data

Tap water in Rusk has about 3 mg/L of hardness, which is 0.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as soft. TapWaterData worked it out from the calcium and magnesium levels the local utility reports (June 2022).

Rusk on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+TX typical 112Whitehouse: 3 mg/LWhitehouse 3Lindale: 7 mg/LLindale 7Henderson: 8 mg/LHenderson 8Bullard: 9 mg/LBullard 9Kilgore: 18 mg/LKilgore 18Athens: 21 mg/LAthens 21Nacogdoches: 24 mg/LNacogdoches 24Palestine: 25 mg/LPalestine 25Tyler: 26 mg/LTyler 26Crockett: 57 mg/LCrockett 57Rusk 3mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+TX 112Whitehouse: 3 mg/LWhitehouse 3Henderson: 8 mg/LHenderson 8Bullard: 9 mg/LBullard 9Nacogdoches: 24 mg/LNacogdoches 24Palestine: 25 mg/LPalestine 25Tyler: 26 mg/LTyler 263 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Rusk sits 109 mg/L below the typical Texas figure of 112. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 3 mg/L in Whitehouse to 57 in Crockett.

What 3 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

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

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 3 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Rusk's water system

City of Rusk · PWSID TX0370003

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 5,602 people from groundwater.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
10
Open now
4

EPA lists this system as serving Rusk.

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 Rusk water hard?

No. It measures about 3 mg/L (0.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

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

About 0.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 3 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 0.2.

Has the Rusk water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for City of Rusk since 2016. There were also 10 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 342 cities in Texas

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (calculated from utility data, June 23, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.