Cordova's tap water is very hard. When the Illinois EPA laboratory tested finished water from the village well site on September 13, 2023, total hardness came back at 351 mg/L as calcium carbonate, about 20.5 grains per gallon. That is nearly double the 180 mg/L mark where the U.S. Geological Survey starts calling water very hard. The village pumps it from two bedrock wells, then aerates, fluoridates and chlorinates it without softening, so the full mineral load reaches your faucets.
Kind Water Co puts in whole-home water softeners, whole-home filtration and under-sink reverse osmosis drinking-water systems for Cordova homes. We also service the equipment already in your basement, including softeners and filters from brands we never sold, and on acreages outside the village we build complete well-water systems. The installation itself is done by licensed local plumbing professionals we vet, schedule, and stand behind.
Every job starts with a free in-home water test. We measure hardness, iron and total dissolved solids right at your kitchen sink, so the system is sized to your water instead of a guess. Travel is simple: the first 50 miles are free, and past that it is $1 a mile, quoted before you agree to anything. To get going, book the free in-home water test or get an instant quote online.
| Cordova at a glance | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Who supplies the water | Village of Cordova community water system, IL1610150, serving 640 people through 310 service connections (EPA SDWIS) |
| Where it comes from | Two village wells, 340 and 275 feet deep in bedrock (Illinois EPA source water assessment); no purchased water on record |
| Softened at the plant? | No. The treatment on record is aeration, fluoridation and chlorination |
| Published hardness | 351 mg/L (20.5 gpg) in finished water, September 13, 2023 (Illinois EPA lab result) |
The village's 2025 water quality report lists nitrate, measured as nitrogen, between 4.17 and 5.94 mg/L during the year, and a September 1, 2026 sample from the well site measured 6.26 mg/L. The federal maximum contaminant level is 10 mg/L, and no nitrate limit violation is recorded. What the record does show is a monitoring violation: EPA's database lists a missed routine nitrate sample for July through September 2023, classed as monitoring and reporting rather than an exceedance, and returned to compliance in February 2024.
If nitrate is your concern, a certified laboratory test is the right tool, because our free in-home test does not measure it. The village report also advises anyone caring for an infant to ask a health care provider. Reverse osmosis fits in a specific way: EPA lists it among the best available technologies for nitrate at the water-system level (40 CFR 141.62), which is a regulatory designation for treatment systems, not a product certification. The reverse osmosis units we install are certified to NSF/ANSI 58 for total dissolved solids reduction only, not for nitrate.
Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, every community water system had to file an initial inventory of its service lines by October 16, 2024. Cordova's report says the village did not develop an approvable inventory by that date. EPA's SDWIS database files that as a treatment-technique violation beginning October 17, 2024, with two related reporting violations, and marks them returned to compliance on August 21, 2025 and December 18, 2025. It was a missed inventory requirement, not a lead test result, and the village's notice states that Cordova has no known lead service lines.
The other federal entries since 2018 are monitoring or reporting items as well: a lead consumer notice violation at the end of 2022, and missed 2023 routine samples for two disinfection byproducts, total trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. All are marked resolved. Illinois EPA's own database also lists a 2026 public-notice violation tied to an earlier violation. None of these is a maximum contaminant level violation.
At 20.5 grains per gallon, a Cordova home on village water is squarely in softener territory. A whole-home water softener built from NSF/ANSI 44 certified components is the usual starting point, and you can add reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink for drinking water. Every price below is all-in, covering equipment, installation, taxes and a lifetime parts warranty:
Maintenance is $199 a year for a home with a tank RO and $249 a year for a home with a tankless RO. A diagnostic service call is $199, and a trip for a known issue is $99 plus the part. We offer 0% financing, and military members and first responders get $100 off. Already own a softener that is acting up? Our softener repair guide walks through the common problems.
The village results stop at the village water mains. If your home outside Cordova runs on its own well, nobody tests that water but you. The Rock Island County Health Department handles private water supplies: well permits are $150, including an inspection and a sample, and water sampling is available Monday through Wednesday. Its 2022 fee schedule lists coliform bacteria at $40, coliform and nitrates at $80 and nitrates only at $40, each $20 more with pick-up. The number is (309) 793-1955.
Get that lab result for bacteria and nitrate first. Our free in-home test then covers hardness, iron and dissolved solids, and a well-water system can be designed around both. The UV unit we install is certified to NSF/ANSI 55 Class B, which makes it supplemental treatment for water that has already tested safe, never the fix for a well that fails a bacteria test.
We will come to your Cordova home, test hardness, iron and total dissolved solids at the kitchen sink, and walk you through what the numbers mean for your plumbing and appliances. There is no pressure and no obligation. Book your free in-home water test, or get an instant quote if you already know what you want.
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Very hard. An Illinois EPA laboratory sample of the village's finished water on September 13, 2023 measured total hardness at 351 mg/L as calcium carbonate, about 20.5 grains per gallon. The U.S. Geological Survey classes anything over 180 mg/L as very hard.
No. EPA's treatment record for the Cordova system lists aeration, fluoridation and chlorination. There is no softening step, so the hardness from the two bedrock wells reaches your tap.
No. It was an inventory requirement. The village did not develop an approvable initial service line inventory by the October 16, 2024 federal deadline. EPA's database marks that violation returned to compliance on August 21, 2025, and the village's notice says Cordova has no known lead service lines.
Yes. We maintain and repair existing softeners, filters and reverse osmosis systems, including brands we never sold. A diagnostic service call is $199, and a trip for a known issue is $99 plus the part.
No. The free test measures hardness, iron and total dissolved solids at your kitchen sink. Nitrate, bacteria, arsenic, lead and PFAS need a certified lab. For a private well, the Rock Island County Health Department offers nitrate and coliform sampling.
Every number on this page comes from a public record. Here is where to open each one yourself.
Whole-home water softening, filtration, and reverse-osmosis drinking water — professionally installed and built to last a lifetime.
Serving Marion, Cedar Rapids & surrounding Linn County communities
Kind Water Co is a d/b/a of Zero Cap Investments LLC · 2258 Bison St, Apt B, Marion, IA 52302
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