But it's probably been one of the most frequent topics wherever I go. Hazen's water has about 20 grains of hardness per gallon, said Custer District Health officer Keith Johnson. At five times the normal softening threshold, Hazen's water corrodes fixtures and leaves a nasty white film in the shower. It plays havoc with water heaters and requires a lot of soap to make suds. And Hazen coffee heats up to a scummy brew.
Many residents already own softeners or reverse osmosis systems.
A new Main Street business will specialize in their sales and service. Krause's Super Valu purifies 300 gallons in its reverse osmosis system every week. Most of it goes out the door with customers who lug home gallon jugs for 49 cents each to keep drinking water in the refrigerator and to make coffee that tastes like coffee. Store manager Kari Olson said that number is down, though, with more customers adding their own systems to make better water at home. Nygard is far from sold on the notion of financing in-home softeners.