North Little Rock Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

North Little Rock receives its drinking water from Central Arkansas Water (CAW), the regional utility serving Pulaski County including Little Rock, North Little Rock, and surrounding areas. CAW sources raw water exclusively from two surface reservoirs: Lake Maumelle and Lake Winona. Water is conveyed via pipeline to the Jack H. Wilson Water Treatment Plant and the Ozark Point Water Treatment Plant, both located in Little Rock, where it undergoes conventional treatment including coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and chloramination before distribution.

The Lake Maumelle watershed spans the Ouachita Mountains foothills of central Arkansas, encompassing Paleozoic-era formations including the Stanley Shale and Arkansas Novaculite of Ordovician-Silurian age, alongside Mississippian shales and sandstones. The predominance of siliceous shales, quartzites, and low-solubility metamorphic rocks limits calcium and magnesium dissolution. Granitic intrusions and thin limestone layers contribute minimal hardness ions, yielding characteristically soft water with very low dissolved minerals — no groundwater aquifers are utilized, avoiding hardness from mineralized subsurface flows.

This soft water profile minimizes scale buildup in pipes, water heaters, and appliances, reducing maintenance needs and extending equipment life without softener intervention. Soap lathers efficiently, benefiting laundry and skin care. No water softener is recommended or needed. Very low mineral content may slightly increase corrosion risk in older galvanized plumbing, though modern copper or PEX systems are unaffected. CAW consistently meets EPA standards for pH (typically 7.5–8.5), lead and copper (below action levels via corrosion control), and disinfectants, with no PFAS exceedances reported in recent Consumer Confidence Reports.