Water Hardness in Indiana Cities

Water Hardness in Indiana Cities

Water hardness, essentially the concentration of dissolved materials like calcium and magnesium, can range dramatically throughout the United States. The heartland states, including Indiana, frequently contend with high water hardness levels, while coastal regions usually enjoy gentler, softer water.

Focusing on Indiana, the specific hardness metrics derived from a multitude of cities suggest a significant leaning toward the extreme end of the hardness scale, in relation to the national average. Therefore, Indiana’s water is in the ‘hard to very hard’ category. Such a characteristic plays an impacting role in aspects such as the water’s flavor and the efficacy of cleaning agents like detergents and soaps. Notably, these hardness levels can show variance and are susceptible to modification considering local geological conditions and variations in water sources.

The examined cities in this dataset display various hardness levels in their water supply, measured in parts per million (ppm) and grains per gallon (gpg). Some cities, like Noblesville, Lafayette, Muncie, Greenwood, Kokomo, Westfield, and Wabash, have particularly high hardness levels, exceeding 300 ppm (17.53 gpg). On the lower end, cities like Angola, Fort Wayne, and New Haven show hardness levels below 130 ppm (7.59 gpg). Many cities, including South Bend, Fishers, Bloomington, Hammond, Anderson, and several others, do not provide data for water hardness.

City Hardness PPM (mg/L) Hardness gpg Information Source Notes
Indianapolis 314.00 18.32 Link Covers Indy and all Morgan County Cities
Fort Wayne 122.00 7.12 Link
Evansville 132.00 7.70 Link
South Bend n/a n/a Link
Fishers n/a n/a Link
Carmel 137.10 8.00 Link
Bloomington n/a n/a Link
Hammond n/a n/a Link
Noblesville 400.00 23.34 Link
Lafayette 351.32 20.50 Link Site gives range, took median
Gary 145.00 8.46 Link Took median of the range
Muncie 344.00 20.07 Link
Greenwood 371.00 21.65 Link Part of Johnson County water report
Kokomo 375.00 21.88 Link
Terre Haute 344.00 20.07 Link
Anderson n/a n/a Link
Elkhart n/a n/a
Mishawaka 325.61 19.00 Link
Westfield 387.00 22.58 Link
Columbus 314.00 18.40 Link
Jeffersonville 191.00 11.15 Link
Lawrence n/a n/a Link
West Lafayette 333.00 19.43 Link
Portage 145.00 8.46 Link Part of Greater Gary Area report
New Albany 191.00 11.15 Link Part of Jeffersonville report
Merrillville 145.00 8.46 Link Part of Greater Gary Area report
Richmond 259.00 15.11 Link
Plainfield n/a n/a Link
Goshen 342.75 20.00 Link
Crown Point 145.00 8.46 Link Part of Greater Gary Area report
Valparaiso n/a n/a Link
Michigan City n/a n/a Link
Zionsville 314.00 18.32 Link Covered under Indianapolis (near where I865 and US421 intersect)
Brownsburg 280.00 16.34 Link Took median of provided range
Schererville 145.00 8.46 Link Part of Greater Gary Area report
Hobart 145.00 8.46 Link Part of Greater Gary Area report
Marion n/a n/a Link
East Chicago n/a n/a Link
Franklin 371.00 21.65 Link Part of Johnson County water report
Greenfield n/a n/a Link
Munster n/a n/a Link
Highland n/a n/a Link
Avon 314.00 18.32 Link Covered under Indianapolis (near intersection of 267 and US36)
La Porte n/a n/a Link
Clarksville 191.00 11.15 Link Part of Jeffersonville report
Seymour 236.00 13.77 Link
St. John n/a n/a Link
Shelbyville 371.00 21.65 Link Part of Johnson County water report
Logansport n/a n/a Link
New Castle n/a n/a Link
Huntington n/a n/a Link
Lebanon 157.00 9.16 Link
Jasper n/a n/a Link
Frankfort n/a n/a Link
Vincennes n/a n/a Link
Dyer n/a n/a Link
Crawfordsville 411.00 23.98 Link
Griffith n/a n/a Link
Warsaw 361.00 21.06 Link
New Haven 126.00 7.35 Link
Cedar Lake n/a n/a Link Provides East and West Side reports, neither has info on hardness
Beech Grove 314.00 18.32 Link Covered under Indianapolis (near where I65 intersects with the I465 beltway)
Chesterton 145.00 8.46 Link Part of Greater Gary Area report
Bedford n/a n/a Link
Speedway 250.00 14.60 Link
Auburn n/a n/a Link None of the reports mention hardness
Connersville n/a n/a
Lake Station 145.00 8.46 Link Part of Greater Gary Area report
Madison n/a n/a Link
Greensburg 325.61 19.00 Link
Washington n/a n/a Link
Martinsville 314.00 18.32 Link Covers Indy and all Morgan County Cities
Yorktown n/a n/a Link
Peru n/a n/a Link
Whitestown 314.00 18.32 Link
Lowell 175.00 10.21 Link
Danville n/a n/a Link
Plymouth n/a n/a Link
Wabash 414.00 24.16 Link
Bluffton n/a n/a
Bargersville n/a n/a Link
Kendallville n/a n/a Link
Columbia City n/a n/a
Greencastle 187.00 10.90 Link
Decatur n/a n/a Link
Mooresville 419.00 24.45 Link
Sellersburg n/a n/a Link
McCordsville 314.00 18.32 Link Covered under Indianapolis (immediately west of where 234 and 36 intersect)
Huntertown n/a n/a Link
Angola 85.69 5.00 Link Their water treatment process softens it to 5gpg
Elwood n/a n/a Link City doesn’t appear to provide Water CCRs, and doesn’t seem to be covered by Indianapolis, Kokomo, or Anderson which are the nearest big cities.
Princeton n/a n/a Link
Brazil 308.48 18.00 Link Took median of listed range
Charlestown 203.00 11.85 Link
Tell City n/a n/a Link
Winfield 145.00 8.46 Link Part of Greater Gary Area report
Scottsburg n/a n/a Link
Batesville n/a n/a Link
Nappanee n/a n/a Link
Boonville n/a n/a Link
Top 100 Indiana cities by population and their reported water hardness
ppm = Parts Per Million
mg/L = Milligrams Per Liter
gpg = Grains Per Gallon

Hard water can cause issues such as mineral buildup in plumbing and appliances, reduce the efficacy of soaps and detergents, and affect the taste of the water. A tried and true solution is the use of a water softener. A water softener, like the ones from DROP, could be a worthwhile investment.

These devices work by replacing the calcium and magnesium ions that cause hardness with sodium ions, resulting in softer water. With innovative features, easy installation, and efficient operation, DROP smart water softeners provide a solution to hard water issues, extending the lifespan of appliances, improving water taste, enhancing soap effectiveness, reducing scale build-up, and increasing the overall water efficiency in your home.

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