Hard water in North Salt Lake, UT
Reported by North Salt Lake City Water System · November 2024
- UT typical
- 231 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 48k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in North Salt Lake carries roughly 358 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 21.0 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from North Salt Lake City Water System, dated November 2024. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 303 to 463 mg/L.
At 358 mg/L, North Salt Lake is 127 mg/L above the typical Utah figure of 231. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 134 mg/L in Kaysville to 463 in Bountiful.
What 358 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 358 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 × 21.0 gpg = 4,716 grains a day. A 48,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.
EPA record for North Salt Lake's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 18,655 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 29
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving North Salt Lake.
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 North Salt Lake water hard?
Yes. It measures about 358 mg/L (21.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in North Salt Lake in grains per gallon?
About 21.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 358 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 21.0.
What size water softener do I need in North Salt Lake?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 21.0 gpg works out to about 4,716 grains a day. A 48,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.
Has the North Salt Lake water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for North Salt Lake City Water System since 2016. There were also 29 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Bountiful463 mg/LVery hard
- Salt Lake City231 mg/LVery hard
- Centerville160 mg/LHard
- Farmington330 mg/LVery hard
- South Salt Lake231 mg/LVery hard
- Millcreek231 mg/LVery hard
- West Valley City237 mg/LVery hard
- Fruit Heights189 mg/LVery hard
- Kaysville134 mg/LHard
- Taylorsville236 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, November 24, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.