In recent columns, I have discussed the matter of hard water as found in groundwater. Looking at a water map of the U.S. recently, I noticed that most of the Great Lakes states — which include Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, plus the non-Great Lakes state of Iowa — all have groundwater that is classified as very hard. I also noticed that some areas, especially New England, do not have a hardness problem, or at least they have less of a problem than we do here in the Great Lakes area. I am aware that other regions of the country have problems with corrosive water, methane gas and hydrogen sulfide, but all my experiences are in Michigan. So, this column will deal with the groundwaters of my area.
A typical well in southern Michigan will produce water that is about 20 to 25 grains hard and has somewhere around 3 parts per million (ppm) of iron. It has always been interesting to me that we quote hardness in grains per gallon and iron in ppm or mg/liter. (There is a conversion number, but off the top of my head, I can’t recall the method to express measures of hardness and iron in equivalent amounts.) When it comes to domestic use, while hard water is to most people not pleasing, it can be dealt with. Add enough soap or soap powder, and it can produce a clean wash to a person’s body or from a washing machine. Hard water doesn’t help the inside of pipes or water heaters, but it is something one can get used to. I have some relatives that grew up on hard municipal water who absolutely hate soft water. They claim it’s slimy. When these persons visit and stay overnight, I tell them I will set my water softener to make the water extra soft and even slimier. They reply, “Thanks a lot, John.” Of course, you can’t really do this. A softener will take the hardness level to 0, and that is it.