North Little Rock Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

North Little Rock, Arkansas, in Pulaski County across the Arkansas River from Little Rock — home of Verizon Arena (now Simmons Bank Arena) and one of Arkansas's largest cities — draws its municipal water supply from the Arkansas River via the Central Arkansas Water (CAW) regional water system, treating Arkansas River water for the Central Arkansas area including North Little Rock. The Arkansas River at Little Rock–North Little Rock has drained from the Rocky Mountains to the central Arkansas Valley. Water hardness in North Little Rock measures 162.5 mg/L — classified as hard.

North Little Rock's hard supply reflects the Arkansas River's calcareous mineral accumulation in its long journey from Colorado. The Arkansas River above Little Rock drains: the Colorado Rocky Mountains (Precambrian Pikes Peak Granite and Paleozoic calcareous formations — including the Arbuckle Limestone equivalents of Oklahoma); the Oklahoma and Kansas Great Plains (Permian Blaine Formation gypsum and red beds — dissolved sulfate and calcium); the Ouachita Mountains (Ordovician–Devonian Arkansas Novaculite — siliceous chert and quartzite, soft water contribution); and the Arkansas River Valley (Pennsylvanian Hartshorne Sandstone — moderate calcium contribution). The blend of high-mineral Kansas–Oklahoma Permian red bed drainage with the Arkansas River's long travel distance produces the moderately hard 162.5 mg/L supply.

At 162.5 mg/L, North Little Rock 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. Central Arkansas Water consistently delivers water meeting all Arkansas DEQ and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.