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Waterloo Water Hardness Issues and Solutions

As you read on, you will discover what it means when you hear that Waterloo's water is hard. We will explain how hard Waterloo's water actually is and give you a comparison to the rest of Canada. We will also discuss why hard water is a problem, and what can be done to solve this problem.

Waterloo, Uptown - Image Source: By Giligone (My own work using a Sony a 200) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

What Does It Mean That Waterloo Has Hard Water?

This means that the water in Waterloo contains large amounts of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium.  The groundwater in Waterloo is hard, meaning that it has naturally occurring dissolved calcium and magnesium. According to the website Regionofwaterloo.ca, it is estimated that in the Region of Waterloo there are 134,723 household water softeners using at least 2,753,738 cubic metres of potable water and 44,700 tonnes of salt per year in order to soften water. You can learn more about water hardness by clicking here. Water hardness is measured in milligrams per litre, which can also be called parts per million or ppm. Another very common way to refer to your water hardness is in grains per U.S. gallon (gpg).

How Hard Is Waterloo's Water?

Waterloo has some of the hardest water in all of Canada. The city ranges between 17 and 38 grains per gallon (gpg) or 360 and 650 parts per million (ppm). The water hardness average across Canada is only 10.5 gpg. That means that Waterloo's water is about 2 to 3 times harder than the Canadian average! To put that into perspective, look at the following chart which shows the average water hardness levels of various cities across Canada.

Source: www.cwqa.com/

What Is The Water Hardness Level In My Area?

There is a wide range of water hardness in different areas of the city of Waterloo. The hardest water in Waterloo is found in the area located south of Erb Street East, west of Weber Street South, east of King Street South, and north of Union Street East. To find out the exact level of hardness for your particular area of Waterloo click here.

Why Is Hard Water A Problem?

Even though there are no apparent health risks to drinking hard water, some people find the taste unpleasant. Even though it is safe to drink, having hard water can cause a number of issues in your home. Some of these problems include:

• Damage to your dishwasher, washing machine, and hot water heater due to mineral build-up
• Calcium build-up in your shower
• Sink and toilet bowl stains
• Damage to your plumbing pipes
• Difficulties getting your dishes and laundry clean
• Damage to your clothing, causing it to wear out faster

Waterloo Water Hardness Solutions

Installing a water softener will remove the minerals and make your water soft. To find out how a water softener removes these minerals, click here.  There are many different types of water softeners on the market. It is important to purchase a water softener that can handle the amount of hardness in your water, keeping up with the amount of water that your family uses. To determine the size of water softener that you require, click here.