Hard Water Map

Nebraska Water Hardness by County

Water in Nebraska has a median hardness of 232 mg/L as CaCO₃ — "very hard" on the USGS scale — based on 23,863 measurements at 3,693 monitoring stations. Deuel County has the state's hardest measured water (660 mg/L); Garfield County the softest (56). Rank: #12 of the 50 states and D.C.

Nebraska water hardness map — what the numbers mean. Data verified 2026-07-22.

Of Nebraska's 81 measured counties, 58 very hard, 14 hard, 8 moderately hard, and 1 soft. The hardest are Deuel County (660 mg/L), Keith County (540), and Washington County (420). Garfield County is the softest at 56 mg/L (soft).

About 99% of Nebraska's roughly 1.9 million residents in counties with gate-passing hardness data live where tap water is hard or worse.

Statewide, Nebraska's median works out to 13.6 grains per gallon and ranks #12 of the 50 states and D.C. Across 23,863 measurements at 3,693 stations — 4,752 of them since 2000 — the middle 80% of readings fall between 86.4 and 378 mg/L. The public record runs from 1939 to 2023.

See where Nebraska sits nationally on the national map, or what its number means on the hardness scale.

Download the Nebraska water hardness map (PNG) — Water hardness by county in Nebraska: 81 counties mapped from USGS/EPA data, statewide median 232 mg/L (very hard); darker counties have harder water.

By county

Water hardness by county

The table lists all 81 measured Nebraska counties, hardest first. Their medians span 660 mg/L in Deuel County to 56 in Garfield County — a 11.8× range. 12 more Nebraska counties lack gate-passing data.

County water hardness, hardest first — median mg/L as CaCO₃.
CountyMedianBandResultsSitesNewest
Deuel County660Very hard49102003
Keith County540Very hard153472023
Washington County420Very hard83232015
Wayne County420Very hard27122015
Burt County356.5Very hard178392015
Kearney County350Very hard127422015
Hamilton County340.5Very hard201742015
Thurston County330Very hard419112014
Stanton County328Very hard67182015
Lancaster County310Very hard1,6942162023
Phelps County310Very hard65432002
Valley County309Very hard222412002
Buffalo County303Very hard393792009
Fillmore County300Very hard34192015
Saunders County290Very hard167372023
Hall County287.5Very hard4581322015
Richardson County284.5Very hard652242020
Dawson County280Very hard558502013
Furnas County280Very hard277132016
Scotts Bluff County279Very hard1,0841622002
Polk County273Very hard22162015
Platte County270Very hard375202023
Cuming County269Very hard259332015
Dodge County264.5Very hard908802023
Douglas County260Very hard1,283712023
Garden County260Very hard518592011
Merrick County260Very hard551482011
Dixon County255Very hard71122020
Cedar County254.9Very hard144572020
Cass County250Very hard281292016
Clay County250Very hard43282015
Dakota County250Very hard186172016
Gosper County250Very hard42212013
Harlan County250Very hard207252002
Nemaha County250Very hard151122016
Webster County250Very hard325142015
York County250Very hard168792015
Dundy County240Very hard530752016
Lincoln County240Very hard4131252023
Red Willow County236Very hard85252002
Morrill County230Very hard1541182002
Otoe County230Very hard568122020
Sioux County229Very hard752862002
Franklin County220Very hard24152015
Sarpy County218Very hard895702023
Antelope County212Very hard57362013
Hitchcock County210Very hard247302002
Kimball County210Very hard40102002
Pierce County210Very hard101382015
Seward County210Very hard789322020
Frontier County200Very hard55422014
Butler County190Very hard100312015
Colfax County190Very hard97202023
Custer County190Very hard70492019
Saline County190Very hard342292015
Nuckolls County186Very hard325222015
Adams County180Very hard75272015
Howard County180Very hard480402002
Hayes County169Hard44392002
Box Butte County166Hard22192003
Jefferson County163Hard50242015
Sheridan County160Hard71322003
Perkins County151Hard67652002
Dawes County150Hard35102013
Madison County150Hard342252007
Chase County140Hard91822002
Cheyenne County138.5Hard90442005
Nance County129Hard624612023
Rock County124Hard65162003
Thayer County124Hard39162015
Knox County123.5Hard312242020
Sherman County100.5Moderately hard104422000
Holt County99Moderately hard8761452004
Keya Paha County95.2Moderately hard232152013
Cherry County91.8Moderately hard277512013
Logan County76.5Moderately hard16142019
Brown County74Moderately hard730542003
Thomas County71.1Moderately hard28952023
McPherson County63Moderately hard39292004
Garfield County56Soft114142004

ZIP codes

ZIP codes in Nebraska

The ZIP codes below are grouped by the Nebraska county each mostly falls within (by land area). Each ZIP takes that county's measured median — shown in the group header — so this is a ZIP-to-county guide, not a separate reading for every ZIP. To check the water system serving a specific address, use the lookup.

Key: a † after a ZIP means it has no mapped community water system — usually a private-well area. Plain ZIPs are served by a mapped community water system.

Deuel County · 660 mg/L · Very hard

69122†69129†

Keith County · 540 mg/L · Very hard

69127†69144†69146†69153†69155†

Washington County · 420 mg/L · Very hard

68002†68008†68023†68029†68034†68068†

Wayne County · 420 mg/L · Very hard

68723†68740†68787†68790†

Burt County · 356.5 mg/L · Very hard

68019†68020†68038†68045†68061†

Kearney County · 350 mg/L · Very hard

68924†68945†68959†

Hamilton County · 340.5 mg/L · Very hard

68818†68841†68843†68846†68854†68865†

Thurston County · 330 mg/L · Very hard

68039†68047†68055†68062†68067†68071†68733

Stanton County · 328 mg/L · Very hard

68768†68779†

Lancaster County · 310 mg/L · Very hard

68317†68336†68339†68358†68368†6837268402†68404†6841968428†68430†6843868461†68462†685026850368504685056850668507†68508685106851268514†6851668517†68520†68521†68522†68523†68524†68526†68527†68528†68531†68532†68588

Phelps County · 310 mg/L · Very hard

6892368927†68940†6894968958†

Valley County · 309 mg/L · Very hard

68815†68837†68859†68862

Buffalo County · 303 mg/L · Very hard

68812†68836†68840†68845†68847†6884968858†68861†68866†68869†68870†68876†

Fillmore County · 300 mg/L · Very hard

68351†6835468361†68365†68406†68416†68436†68444†

Saunders County · 290 mg/L · Very hard

68003†68015†68017†68018†68033†68040†68041†68042†68050†68065†68066†68070†68073†68648†

Hall County · 287.5 mg/L · Very hard

68801†68803†68810†68824†68832†68883†

Richardson County · 284.5 mg/L · Very hard

68337†68355†6837668431†68433†68437†68442†68457†

Dawson County · 280 mg/L · Very hard

68834†68850†68863†68878†69130†69138†69171†

Furnas County · 280 mg/L · Very hard

68922†68926†68936†68946†68948†6896769046†

Scotts Bluff County · 279 mg/L · Very hard

69341†69352†69353†69355†69356†

Polk County · 273 mg/L · Very hard

68367†68651†68654†68662†68666†

Platte County · 270 mg/L · Very hard

68601†68631†68634†68642†68643†68644†68647†68653†

Cuming County · 269 mg/L · Very hard

68004†68716†68788†68791†

Dodge County · 264.5 mg/L · Very hard

6802568031†68044†68057†68063†68072†68621†68633†68649†68664

Douglas County · 260 mg/L · Very hard

6800768010†6802268064†68069†681026810468105681066810768108681106811168112†6811468116681176811868122†681246812768130681316813268134681356813768142†68144681526815468164681786818268183

Garden County · 260 mg/L · Very hard

69147†69148†69154†

Merrick County · 260 mg/L · Very hard

68628†68663†68816†68826†68827†68864†

Dixon County · 255 mg/L · Very hard

68710†68728†68732†6875168757†68770†68784†68785†

Cedar County · 254.9 mg/L · Very hard

68717†68727†68736†68739†68745†68749†68771†68774†68792†

Cass County · 250 mg/L · Very hard

680166803768048†68058†68304†68307†68347†68349†68366†6840368407†68409†68413†68455†68463†

Clay County · 250 mg/L · Very hard

68452†68933†68935†68938†68941†68944†68954†68975†6897968980†

Dakota County · 250 mg/L · Very hard

68030†68731†68741†68743†68776†

Gosper County · 250 mg/L · Very hard

68937†68976†

Harlan County · 250 mg/L · Very hard

68920†68966†68971†68977†

Nemaha County · 250 mg/L · Very hard

68305†68320†68321†68378†68414†68421†

Webster County · 250 mg/L · Very hard

68928†68930†68942†68952†68970†

York County · 250 mg/L · Very hard

68316†68319†68371†68401†68460†68467

Dundy County · 240 mg/L · Very hard

69021†69030†69037†69041†

Lincoln County · 240 mg/L · Very hard

69039†69101†69123†69132†69143†69151†69165†69169†69170†

Red Willow County · 236 mg/L · Very hard

69001†69020†69026†69034†69036†

Morrill County · 230 mg/L · Very hard

69125†69331†69334†69336†

Otoe County · 230 mg/L · Very hard

68324†68344†68346†68379†68382†68410†68417†68418†68446†68448†68454†

Sioux County · 229 mg/L · Very hard

69346†69354†69357†69358†69361†

Franklin County · 220 mg/L · Very hard

68929†68932†68939†68947†68960†68972†68981†68982†

Sarpy County · 218 mg/L · Very hard

6800568028†68046†6805668059†68113681236812868133†68136681386814768157†

Antelope County · 212 mg/L · Very hard

68636†68720†68726†68756†68761†68764†68773†68781†

Hitchcock County · 210 mg/L · Very hard

69024†69043†69044†

Kimball County · 210 mg/L · Very hard

69128†69133†69145†

Pierce County · 210 mg/L · Very hard

68747†68765†6876768769†

Seward County · 210 mg/L · Very hard

68313†68314†68330†68360†68364†68405†68423†68434†68439†68456†

Frontier County · 200 mg/L · Very hard

69022†69025†69028†69029†69038†69042†

Butler County · 190 mg/L · Very hard

68001†68014†68036†68624†68626†68632†686356865868667†68669†

Colfax County · 190 mg/L · Very hard

68629†68641†68659†68661†

Custer County · 190 mg/L · Very hard

68813†68814†68822†68825†68828†68855†68856†68860†68874†68881†69120†

Saline County · 190 mg/L · Very hard

6833368343†68359†68445†68453†68464†68465†

Nuckolls County · 186 mg/L · Very hard

68934†68943†68957†68961†68964†68974†68978†

Adams County · 180 mg/L · Very hard

6890168925†68950†68955†68956†68973†

Howard County · 180 mg/L · Very hard

68820†68831†68835†68838†68872†68873†

Hayes County · 169 mg/L · Hard

69032†69040†

Box Butte County · 166 mg/L · Hard

69301†69348†

Jefferson County · 163 mg/L · Hard

68338†68342†68350†68352†68377†68424†68429†68440†

Sheridan County · 160 mg/L · Hard

69335†69340†69347†69351†69360†69365†

Perkins County · 151 mg/L · Hard

69134†69140†69150†69168†

Dawes County · 150 mg/L · Hard

6933769339†69367†

Madison County · 150 mg/L · Hard

6870168715†68748†68752†68758†

Banner County · 147.5 mg/L · Hard

69345†

Chase County · 140 mg/L · Hard

69023†69027†69033†69045†

Cheyenne County · 138.5 mg/L · Hard

69131†69141†69149†69156†69162†

Nance County · 129 mg/L · Hard

68623†68638†68640†

Rock County · 124 mg/L · Hard

68714†68759†

Thayer County · 124 mg/L · Hard

68303†68315†68322†68325†68326†6832768335†68340†68362†68370†68375†

Knox County · 123.5 mg/L · Hard

68718†68724†68729†68730†68760†68783†68786†68789†

Sherman County · 100.5 mg/L · Moderately hard

68817†68844†68852†68853†68871†

Holt County · 99 mg/L · Moderately hard

68711†68713†68725†68734†68735†68742†68763†68766†68780†

Keya Paha County · 95.2 mg/L · Moderately hard

68753†68778†69220†

Cherry County · 91.8 mg/L · Moderately hard

69135†69161†69201†69211†69212†69216†69218†69219†69221†69343†69366†

Logan County · 76.5 mg/L · Moderately hard

69163†

Brown County · 74 mg/L · Moderately hard

69210†69214†69217†

Thomas County · 71.1 mg/L · Moderately hard

69142†69166†

McPherson County · 63 mg/L · Moderately hard

69167†

Garfield County · 56 mg/L · Soft

68823†

† 464 ZIP codes are not served by a mapped community water system — most are private-well areas. See well water hardness.

Check any ZIP's utility and hardness →

Source

Groundwater vs surface water

Nebraska's groundwater measures harder than its surface water — 250 mg/L across 6,922 samples versus 230 across 16,904, about 1.1× harder. Wells draw from groundwater, so well owners in Nebraska tend to see the harder number — 250 mg/L, very hard. Groundwater readings there run 106 to 452 mg/L across the middle 80% of samples. The comparison draws on 3,071 groundwater and 608 surface-water monitoring sites; 6 readings above 2,000 mg/L were logged but held out of the medians as outliers.

Groundwater (wells)

250 mg/L as CaCO₃ · 6,922 results at 3,071 stations.

Surface water (rivers, lakes)

230 mg/L as CaCO₃ · 16,904 results at 608 stations.

Groundwater measures about 1.1× harder than surface water here.

Chemistry

Water chemistry in Nebraska

Beyond the hardness number, Nebraska's water carries a fuller chemical signature — here is how its measured parameters compare to national benchmarks.

TDS

482 mg/L · n=4,442

482 mg/L — about 2.1× the national county median of 226, consistent with hard, mineral-rich water.

pH

8.2 pH · n=8,079

pH 8.2 — within the EPA secondary range of 6.5–8.5, on the alkaline side.

Alkalinity

184 mg/L as CaCO3 · n=9,796

184 mg/L — substantial buffering capacity, which resists pH swings.

Calcium : Magnesium

70.1 : 22 mg/L ≈ 3.19 : 1 · n=5,907

Calcium is about 66% of Nebraska's hardness (70.1 mg/L Ca to 22 mg/L Mg), a little more magnesium-rich than the national ~68% calcium share.

Parameter medians may include a small share of quality-control samples; the hardness lane is fully QC-filtered.

Aquifers

Major aquifers under Nebraska

3 aquifer systems supply much of Nebraska's measured groundwater.

  • Lower Cretaceous aquifers — median 391 mg/L across 268 samples at 145 sites: very hard.
  • Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions) — median 298 mg/L across 318 samples at 56 sites: very hard.
  • Alluvial aquifers — median 270 mg/L across 2,409 samples at 1,008 sites: very hard.

Together these systems account for 2,995 measured samples at 1,209 sites. Aquifer medians pool samples across a whole system and can mask local variation — see the national aquifer map for how these compare across states.

Trend

Hardness over time

1940s2020s282

Nebraska's decade median moved from 200 mg/L in the 1940s to 267.8 in the 2020s. Over the series, the decade median peaked at 282 mg/L in the 2010s and bottomed at 200 in the 1940s. Decade medians reflect where and what agencies sampled in each era, not just changes in the water itself.

Scale

Where Nebraska sits on the scale

On the USGS scale, Nebraska's 232 mg/L is very hard — 13.6 grains per gallon, well above the 180 mg/L very-hard cutoff — among the hardest water measured in the US.

SoftModerately hardHardVery hard60 · 3.5 gpg120 · 7.0 gpg180 · 10.5 gpg232 mg/L — Very hard
Harder than 70% of the 2,977 measured county medians.

At 232 mg/L (13.6 gpg), water-softener owners in Nebraska typically set their unit to this hardness — settings calculator.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Nebraska's water hard?
Nebraska's median hardness is 232 mg/L as CaCO₃, "very hard" on the USGS scale and 1.66× the national county median of 140 mg/L. About 99% of residents in measured counties have hard-or-worse water.
Which county in Nebraska has the hardest water?
Deuel County, with a median of 660 mg/L as CaCO₃ across 49 measurements.
Is well water harder than city water in Nebraska?
Groundwater measures harder here — about 1.1× the surface water — so wells tend to run harder (groundwater 250 vs surface water 230 mg/L).
How do I find my exact hardness in Nebraska?
Search your ZIP on the lookup tool, read your utility's Consumer Confidence Report, or test at home with a kit.
Is Nebraska's water harder than the national average?
Yes. Nebraska's median of 232 mg/L is 1.66× the national county median of 140 mg/L, and Nebraska ranks #12 of the 50 states and D.C.

Compare

States with similar hardness

Two states measure closest to Nebraska's 232 mg/L: Wyoming at 243.5 mg/L and New Mexico at 207 mg/L. Nebraska measures harder than 78% of states. Browse the full ranking on the statistics page.

More: hardness scale · check your address · national statistics · the national map.

By . Source: USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal — 23,863 Nebraska measurements. Data last verified . Methodology.

Cite this page: “Nebraska Water Hardness by County.” Hard Water Map. Retrieved 2026-07-22, https://hardwatermap.com/water-hardness/nebraska/