Conway Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Conway, Arkansas, the Faulkner County seat northwest of Little Rock on I-40 — a 'College City' home to three universities (University of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College, Central Baptist College) — draws its municipal water supply from the Arkansas River via the City of Conway Water and Sewer, treating Arkansas River water for the Conway metropolitan area. The Arkansas River at Conway drains the full Rocky Mountain to Arkansas Valley basin. Water hardness in Conway measures 196.5 mg/L — classified as hard.

Conway's hard supply is harder than nearby North Little Rock (162.5 mg/L), reflecting Faulkner County's position further upstream on the Arkansas River — where the upstream concentration of calcareous input from the Kansas–Oklahoma Great Plains tributaries is somewhat higher before further dilution downstream. The Arkansas River above Conway receives substantial calcareous input from the Permian Blaine Formation gypsum and red beds of Oklahoma and Kansas, the Kansas Flint Hills Permian limestone drainage (via the Arkansas tributaries), and the Oklahoma Pennsylvanian–Mississippian calcareous formations. The resulting 196.5 mg/L at Conway reflects the upper Arkansas Valley reach, where Great Plains calcareous tributaries dominate and dilution from lower Arkansas tributaries has not yet occurred.

At 196.5 mg/L, Conway residents face regular hard water challenges. Scale deposits form on faucet aerators, showerheads, and appliances within weeks — monthly descaling with citric acid solution is standard maintenance. City of Conway Water and Sewer consistently delivers water meeting all Arkansas DEQ and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.