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
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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.