West Memphis Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

West Memphis, Arkansas, in Crittenden County directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee, receives its municipal water from the West Memphis Water Department, which draws from the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer — a highly productive shallow aquifer composed of thick Quaternary sands and gravels deposited by the Mississippi River in its broad floodplain. The alluvial aquifer wells tap water that has been naturally filtered through river sediments, producing a clean, relatively low-mineral groundwater supply. West Memphis benefits from the same alluvial aquifer system that supplies Memphis's world-renowned water quality.

The moderately soft 66.5 mg/L hardness reflects the alluvial aquifer's siliceous composition. The Mississippi Embayment Valley Fill alluvial sands are predominantly quartz-dominated, river-transported sediments from the upper Mississippi drainage — fine to medium-grained sands with limited carbonate content. Unlike bedrock aquifers in carbonate terrain, the river alluvium contains minimal limestone or dolomite fragments in this reach, limiting calcium and magnesium dissolution. The resulting water is far softer than communities tapping carbonate bedrock aquifers across Arkansas and Missouri.

At 66.5 mg/L, West Memphis enjoys moderately soft water — a very favorable profile for a river community in the Deep South. Residents benefit from good soap lathering, minimal scale on appliances, and clean glassware from the dishwasher. Kettles and water heaters accumulate deposits very slowly and need descaling only once or twice a year under normal use. The very low PFAS reading of 2.9 ppt — among the lowest in Arkansas — reinforces West Memphis's generally strong water quality profile. Residents in older housing should remain aware of lead service line risks and flush cold taps before drinking first-draw water.