Michigan

Water Quality in the State of Michigan

Michigan is a state in the Great Lakes region of the US. It is the only state that is comprised of two peninsulas. The upper peninsula is more sparsely populated but is essential to the state’s tourism due to its abundance of breathtaking landscapes. The lower peninsula carries the majority of the state’s population and plays an important economic role for the US. Michigan is America’s automotive epicenter, housing industry giants such as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. 

Detroit water, the largest water utility in Michigan and the second-largest utility in the US, receives water from the Detroit River and Lake Huron. The water supply travels through 2,700 miles of water mains to service Detroit residents and surrounding communities.

Water Hardness Summary

Michigan water is considered hard to very hard. Detroit Metro area has moderately hard water, at 104 PPM. Grand Rapids, located in the lower peninsula has hard water according to USGS standards at 380 PPM.

For more information on water hardness in specific cities, please see table below.

Allen Park Michigan 48101	98 PPM (mg/L) or 6 gpg
Allendale Michigan 49401	162 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg
Ann Arbor 48103 | 48104 | 48105 | 48108 | 48109	129 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg
Auburn Hills Michigan 48326	306 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Bay City Michigan 48706 | 48708	198 PPM (mg/L) or 12 gpg
Battle Creek 49014 | 49015 | 49017 | 49037	152 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg
Belleville Michigan 48111	186 PPM (mg/L) or 11 gpg
Big Rapids  49307	239 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg
Birmingham Michigan 48009	418 PPM (mg/L) or 24 gpg
Bloomfield Hills  48304 | 48302 | 48301	322 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Brighton  48116 | 48114	326 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Byron Center  49315	225 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg
Cadillac  49601	278 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg
Caledonia  49316	311 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Canton  48187 | 48188	325 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Cedar Springs 49319	214 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg
Charlotte Michigan 48813	222 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg
Clarkston  48348 | 48346	355 PPM (mg/L) or 21 gpg
Clinton  48038 | 49236	132 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg
Detroit 48201 | 48202 | 48204 | 48205 | 48206 | 48207 | 48208 | 48209 | 48210 | 48211 | 48213 | 48214 | 48215 | 48216 | 48217 | 48219 | 48221 | 48223 | 48224 | 48226 | 48227 | 48228 | 48233 | 48234 | 48235	104 PPM (mg/L) or 6 gpg
Dearborn Heights  48127 | 48125	279 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg
East Lansing  48823 | 48825	128 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg
Eastpointe  48021	208 PPM (mg/L) or 12 gpg
Fenton  48430	222 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg
Ferndale 48220	236 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg
Flint 48502 | 48503 | 48504 | 48505 | 48506 | 48507 | 48532 | 48551 | 48553 | 48554	242 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg
Flushing  48433	344 PPM (mg/L) or 20 gpg
Garden City  48135	310 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Gaylord  49735	385 PPM (mg/L) or 23 gpg
Grand Haven  49417	143 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg
Grand Ledge 48837	203 PPM (mg/L) or 12 gpg
Grandville 49418	222 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg
Grosse Pointe  48236 | 48230	175 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Hamtramck  48212	336 PPM (mg/L) or 20 gpg
Harrison Township  48045	378 PPM (mg/L) or 22 gpg
Hastings 49058	152 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg
Holland Michigan 49424 | 49423	160 PPM (mg/L) or 9 gpg
Holly 48442	308 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Holt  48842	329 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Hudsonville n 49426	170 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Inkster  48141	196 PPM (mg/L) or 11 gpg
Ionia 48846	265 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg
Jackson Michigan 49201 | 49203 | 49202	245 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg
Jenison  49428	223 PPM (mg/L) or 13 gpg
Kalamazoo 49001 | 49004 | 49006 | 49007 | 49008 | 49009 | 49048	115 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg
Lake Orion  48362 | 48360 | 48359	320 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Lansing 48906 | 48910 | 48911 | 48912 | 48915 | 48917 | 48933	99 PPM (mg/L) or 6 gpg
Lapeer 48446	302 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Lincoln Park Michigan 48146	254 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg
Livonia 48154 | 48152 | 48150	268 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg
Macomb 48044 | 48042	117 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg
Madison Heights Michigan 48071	163 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Marquette 49855	170 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Mason Michigan 48854	178 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Midland Michigan 48640 | 48642 | 48667	302 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Monroe Michigan 48162 | 48161	369 PPM (mg/L) or 22 gpg
Mount Morris  48458	348 PPM (mg/L) or 20 gpg
Mt. Pleasant 48858	140 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg
Muskegon 49440 | 49441 | 49442 | 49444 | 49445	116 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg
New Baltimore Michigan 48047 | 48051	278 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg
Niles  49120	255 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg
Northville  48168 | 48167	265 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg
Novi  48375 | 48377 | 48374	321 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Oak Park  48237	329 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Okemos  48864	265 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg
Owosso 48867	244 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg
Oxford  48371 | 48370	265 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg
Pinckney  48169	124 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg
Plymouth  48170	333 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Pontiac 48340 | 48341 | 48342	312 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Port Huron  48060	364 PPM (mg/L) or 21 gpg
Portage Michigan 49024 | 49002	301 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Redford Michigan 48239 | 48240	385 PPM (mg/L) or 23 gpg
Royal Oak Michigan 48073 | 48067	277 PPM (mg/L) or 16 gpg
Saint Clair Shores  48080 | 48081 | 48082	130 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg
Saint Joseph Michigan 49085	185 PPM (mg/L) or 11 gpg
Saginaw 48601 | 48602 | 48603 | 48604 | 48607 | 48609 | 48638	104 PPM (mg/L) or 6 gpg
Saline  48176	324 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
South Lyon  48178	125 PPM (mg/L) or 7 gpg
Southfield Michigan 48076 | 48075 | 48033 | 48034	168 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Southgate Michigan 48195	178 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Spring Lake  49456	254 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg
Sterling Heights 48310 | 48312 | 48313 | 48314	138 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg
Sturgis Michigan 49091	333 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Swartz Creek  48743	320 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Taylor  48180	368 PPM (mg/L) or 22 gpg
Traverse City 49684 | 49686	164 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Trenton  48183	247 PPM (mg/L) or 14 gpg
Troy Michigan 48085 | 48083 | 48098 | 48084	210 PPM (mg/L) or 12 gpg
Utica  48317 | 48316 | 48315	320 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Walled Lake  48390	396 PPM (mg/L) or 23 gpg
Warren 48088 | 48089 | 48091 | 48092 | 48093 | 48397	144 PPM (mg/L) or 8 gpg
Washington Michigan 48094 | 48095	314 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Waterford  48328 | 48329 | 48327	322 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
West Bloomfield Michigan 48322 | 48324 | 48323	175 PPM (mg/L) or 10 gpg
Westland Michigan 48185 | 48186	198 PPM (mg/L) or 12 gpg
White Lake  48386 | 48383	402 PPM (mg/L) or 24 gpg
Wyandotte  48192	256 PPM (mg/L) or 15 gpg
Wyoming  49519 | 49509	321 PPM (mg/L) or 19 gpg
Ypsilanti  48197 | 48198	304 PPM (mg/L) or 18 gpg
Zeeland  49464	388 PPM (mg/L) or 23 gpg

mg/L = Milligrams Per LiterPPM = Parts Per Million

gpg = Grains Per Gallon

Manufacturing and Water Hardness

Manufacturing is the largest contributing industry for Michigan’s economy, accounting for 20% of the state's gross product. The Automotive industry is the state’s top manufacturing industry, with 975 auto manufacturing establishments; making Michigan the top Automotive state in the Nation. Other significant manufacturing industries in Michigan are machinery, fabricated metal products, chemicals, and food and beverage products.

Product processing in most manufacturing plants requires water. Cooling towers and HVAC are imperative to keeping operations running smoothly. Water hardness levels can be as high as 500 PPM; with water hardness levels this high, manufacturing equipment can deteriorate at a rapid pace and experience efficiency loss.

Solutions to your Water Quality Problems

Fixing your water quality issues in the state of Michigan will depend on your specific water source. It is best to test your potable water supply in order to get a better understanding of your water quality. Testing is relatively cheap. The test results will allow you to understand if your potable water has issues that need to be addressed. Common solutions to water contamination problems may include a water filtration system, a reverse osmosis system or other whole home water treatment solutions.

A problem that almost all Michigan residents will have to deal with is hard water. One old-fashioned, inefficient, expensive and unhealthy method to treat hard water is with a salt-based water softener. Most people don’t realize that if you’re using a water softener you are basically removing calcium and magnesium from your drinking water and adding salt to your diet. In addition, many states are banning the use of salt-based water softeners. 

Alternative water treatment solutions such as “water conditioners” have been gaining popularity in recent years because they are cheap to operate and the best eco-friendly solution for hard water. Hydropath technology, which powers the HydroFLOW water conditioners is by far the most efficient and cost-effective eco-friendly solution to deal with hard water problems. To learn more about how HydroFLOW solves the problems created by hard water, please check out our technology page. You might want to read this blog that explains the difference between water conditioners and water softeners: Water Conditioner vs. Water Softener Blog.