State water index

Indiana water hardness

Search 386 indexed communities and 472 ZIP profiles, then compare the underlying utility, source, distance, and reporting context.

Median indexed hardness

313PPM

Very Hard

Indexed range 132–371 PPM

ZIP profiles: 472
Cities: 386
Matched utilities: 647
Counties: 92

Understanding Indiana

Why local comparisons matter here

Indiana communities use Lake Michigan, rivers and reservoirs, glacial aquifers, and bedrock groundwater. Northern and southern source settings can be quite different.

In this index, very hard is the largest category, covering 435 of 472 profiles with hardness data. The state median is 313 PPM, but the full indexed range is 132–371 PPM.

State distribution

Hardness across indexed ZIPs

Counts describe published ZIP profiles, not a population-weighted statewide sample.

Soft · 0–60 PPM0

Moderately hard · 61–120 PPM0

Hard · 121–180 PPM37

Very hard · 181+ PPM435

Evidence coverage

What the current records support

Hardness estimate: 100%
Lead 90th percentile: 100%
Copper 90th percentile: 19%

186

Low-confidence hardness profiles

184

Nearest site more than 25 miles away

Reported source water

Utility source mix

Groundwater: 549
Surface water: 93
Groundwater influenced by surface water: 5

Highest medians

Hardest indexed cities

1. Portland371 PPM
2. Liberty369 PPM
3. Redkey369 PPM
4. Winchester367 PPM
5. Centerville365 PPM

Lowest medians

Softest indexed cities

1. Salem132 PPM
2. Borden132 PPM
3. Paoli145 PPM
4. Orleans145 PPM
5. Mount Vernon145 PPM

City directory

Explore Indiana by city

Search by city or county, then sort by name, hardness, or ZIP coverage.

386 cities · 472 ZIP profiles

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County

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386 cities found

Page 1 of 17

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Boone County · 1 ZIP

349PPM

County	Median	Range	ZIP profiles
Union County	369 PPM	369–369	1
Jay County	367 PPM	365–371	4
Randolph County	365 PPM	364–367	4
Adams County	363 PPM	352.5–364.5	4
Wayne County	362 PPM	335–365	5
Fayette County	361 PPM	361–361	1
Henry County	360 PPM	354–363.5	7
Steuben County	358 PPM	311–360	5
Rush County	356 PPM	352–362.5	4
Dearborn County	354 PPM	352–363	3
Ohio County	352 PPM	352–352	1
Blackford County	352 PPM	352–352	1

Why local comparisons matter here

Hardness across indexed ZIPs

What the current records support

Utility source mix

Hardest indexed cities

Softest indexed cities

Explore Indiana by city

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Akron

Albany

Albion

Alexandria

Anderson

Andrews

Angola

Arcadia

Argos

Atlanta

Attica

Auburn

Aurora

Austin

Avilla

Bainbridge

Bargersville

Batesville

Battle Ground

Bedford

Berne

Birdseye

Bloomingdale

Highest indexed county medians