Hard water in Murray, UT
Reported by Salt Lake City Water System · September 2025
- UT typical
- 231 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Murray carries roughly 216 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 12.6 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Salt Lake City Water System, dated September 2025.
At 216 mg/L, Murray is 15 mg/L below the typical Utah figure of 231. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 156 mg/L in Sandy to 365 in Kearns.
What 216 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 216 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 × 12.6 gpg = 2,837 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.
EPA record for Murray's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 38,723 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 8
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving Murray.
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 Murray water hard?
Yes. It measures about 216 mg/L (12.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Murray in grains per gallon?
About 12.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 216 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 12.6.
What size water softener do I need in Murray?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 12.6 gpg works out to about 2,837 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.
Has the Murray water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Murray City Water System since 2016. There were also 8 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Midvale161 mg/LHard
- Taylorsville236 mg/LVery hard
- Holladay231 mg/LVery hard
- South Salt Lake231 mg/LVery hard
- Millcreek231 mg/LVery hard
- Cottonwood Heights214 mg/LVery hard
- Sandy156 mg/LHard
- Kearns365 mg/LVery hard
- West Jordan243 mg/LVery hard
- West Valley City237 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 29, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.