Water Hardness in Ohio Cities

Water Hardness in Ohio Cities

Water hardness generally refers to the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water. These levels can vary significantly across the United States, with the Midwest states commonly experiencing harder water and coastal states experiencing softer water.

The hardness level in Ohio, as evident from the specific values extracted from various cities, tend to fall on the higher end of the scale when compared to the national average, hence the water can be categorized as ‘hard to very hard.’ It’s a quality characteristic that can influence factors like taste and the effectiveness of soaps and detergents. Water hardness levels can fluctuate and are subject to change due to reasons such as local geology and source of water.

The water hardness levels in the state of Ohio show considerable variation across different cities, with measurements given in parts per million (ppm) and grains per gallon (gpg). Cities such as Columbus, Cincinnati, and Youngstown have a hardness level of 120ppm and 7gpg. In contrast, Toledo and Perrysburg show significantly lower levels at 17.1ppm and 1gpg. Meanwhile, cities like Dayton and Kettering have higher concentrations of hardness reaching 155ppm and 9gpg, and 157ppm and 9gpg, respectively. It is also notable that the highest water hardness level measured in Lancaster and Oxford, amounted to above 340ppm and 20gpg. However, several cities, including Canton, Lorain, Hamilton, and others did not have available data.

City Hardness ppm (mg/L) Hardness gpg Information Source Notes
Columbus 120ppm 7gpg Link
Cleveland 113ppm 6.6gpg Link
Cincinnati 128ppm 7gpg Link Two plants, one with 122ppm other with 134ppm, took average
Toledo 17.1ppm 1gpg Link Had to convert from grain/gallon to ppm here. 2020 data was latest I found, looks like they stopped including it in reports in 2021
Akron 106ppm 6gpg Link Latest info I found was from 2020
Dayton 155ppm 9gpg Link
Parma 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Canton n/a n/a Link No water report in last 5 years provides a specific measure of hardness.
Lorain n/a n/a Link Not included in city water report. Does pull from Lake Erie, so may be the same/similar as Cleveland but cannot confirm
Hamilton n/a n/a Link Not included in city water report.
Youngstown 120ppm 6.9gpg Link Youngstown sources water from Meader Valley
Springfield 148ppm 8.7gpg Link Listed as 337.43ppm/19.73gpg before city treats it down to 148/8.7
Kettering 157ppm 9gpg Link
Elyria n/a n/a Link Water quality reports don’t include hardness.
Middletown n/a n/a Link Water quality reports don’t include hardness.
Cuyahoga Falls 170ppm 10gpg Link Document gives range of 160-180ppm, used calculation to convert to gpg
Newark 118ppm 6.9gpg Link Calculated gpg based on ppm
Lakewood 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Dublin 120ppm 7gpg Link Included in Columbus Water Quality Report, per linked source
Euclid 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Mansfield n/a n/a Link Not included in city water report
Mentor n/a n/a Link Document was a dead link when I tried to connect 9/13
Beavercreek n/a n/a Link Greene County Water Report doesn’t include hardness
Strongsville 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Cleveland Heights 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Fairfield 130ppm 7.6gpg Link
Huber Heights n/a n/a Link Neither the Consumer Confidence nor the Water Integrity study have hardness measures
Delaware 130ppm 7.5gpg Link Used the midpoints of ranges provided
Grove City 120ppm 7gpg Link Provided by Columbus water works
Reynoldsburg 106.5ppm 6.2gpg Link Took average value of city’s two treatment plants
Lancaster 344.33ppm 20.1gpg Link Measured as CCPP in this linked document.
Findlay n/a n/a Link Annual reports don’t include hardness
Warren n/a n/a Link Annual reports don’t include hardness
Westerville 110ppm 6.4gpg Link
Hilliard 120ppm 7gpg Link Included in Columbus Water Quality Report, per linked source
Upper Arlington 120ppm 7gpg Link Included in Columbus Water Quality Report, per linked source
North Ridgeville n/a n/a Link Annual reports don’t include hardness
Lima n/a n/a Link Linked source says they soften water at treatment plants but don’t list goal. Also not listed in consumer report PDFs on same page.
Marion 144ppm 8.4gpg Link Newest source I could find is 2012, also calculated gpg based on ppm
Gahanna 120ppm 7gpg Link Included in Columbus Water Quality Report, per linked source
Brunswick 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Mason 128ppm 7gpg Link Service provided by Greater Cincinnati Water Works per linked source, so used the avg numbers for Cincy here.
Fairborn n/a n/a Link None of the water quality reports from last 3 years include hardness
Stow 120ppm 7gpg Link Calculated the ppm based on the gpg provided in report
Westlake 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Massillon n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report
North Olmsted 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
North Royalton 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Bowling Green n/a n/a Link Not listed in consumer report, but there is a contact for someone in charge of unregulated contaminants which may include hardness (pg 4 of linked doc)
Garfield Heights 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Shaker Heights 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Kent 90ppm 5.3gpg Link 317ppm unfiltered, calculated gpg
Green n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report
Wooster 101ppm 5.9gpg Link Calculated gpg based on ppm
Troy 115ppm 6.7gpg Link Calculated gpg based on ppm
Marysville n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report
Medina n/a n/a Link Purchases from Avon which doesn’t include hardness in consumer confidence report
Avon Lake n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report
Xenia n/a n/a Link Greene County Water Report doesn’t include hardness
Avon n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report
Perrysburg 17.1ppm 1gpg Link Sources from Toledo per linked document
Barberton 137ppm 8gpg Link 2021 Report
Sandusky n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report, most recent I could find was 2019. Sources from Lake Erie
Centerville 157ppm 9gpg Link Part of Montgomery County/Dayton city water.
Zanesville n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report
Riverside 157ppm 9gpg Link Part of Montgomery County/Dayton city water.
Athens 144ppm 8.4gpg Link
Wadsworth n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report, although it does mention they do test for it, no number provided
Pickerington 200ppm 11.7gpg Link Very old (2010) information, not listed in more recent consumer reports
Solon 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Willoughby n/a n/a Link Hardness not listed, but pulls from Lake Erie and is right by Cleveland, so may be same/similar.
Maple Heights 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Hudson 130ppm 7.6gpg Link Softened from nearly 500ppm per linked source
Trotwood n/a n/a Link Not included in either water quality assessment on city public works site
Oxford 350ppm 20.5gpg Link
Chillicothe n/a n/a Link Not included in consumer confidence report
Alliance 150ppm 8.8gpg Link Old document, but most recent listed on city website (from 2010)
South Euclid 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Rocky River 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Lebanon 128ppm 7gpg Link Purchases from Cincinnati, so used those numbers.
Painesville 119ppm 6.9gpg Link
Parma Heights 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Piqua 252ppm 14.7gpg Link Report from city website is from 2011
Sidney 113.17ppm 6.6gpg Link
Whitehall 120ppm 7gpg Link Columbus provides water to Whitehall per linked article
Mayfield Heights 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Forest Park 128ppm 7gpg Link Purchases water from Cincinnati
Oregon n/a n/a Link Hardness not included in city water quality report
Miamisburg 137ppm 8gpg Link
Broadview Heights 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Twinsburg 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Ashland n/a n/a Link Hardness not included in city water quality report
Springboro n/a n/a Link Hardness not included in city water quality report
Sylvania 17.1ppm 1gpg Link Purchases from City of Toledo, per linked document
Norwood 128ppm 7gpg Link Purchases treated water from Greater Cincinnati Water Works
Berea n/a n/a Link Not included in city water quality report
Niles 120ppm 6.9gpg Link Niles Water sourced from Meader Valley
Brook Park 113ppm 6.6gpg Link Included in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Tallmadge 112ppm 7gpg Link Both ppm and gpg are listed in the linked doc, looks as though the gpg was rounded up in the document.
Pataskala 110ppm 6.4gpg Link Took median of range listed in document
Top 100 Ohio cities by population and their reported water hardness
ppm = Parts Per Million
mg/L = Milligrams Per Liter
gpg = Grains Per Gallon

Hard water can cause issues such as mineral buildup in plumbing and appliances, reduce the efficacy of soaps and detergents, and affect the taste of the water. A tried and true solution is the use of a water softener. A water softener, like the ones from DROP, could be a worthwhile investment.

These devices work by replacing the calcium and magnesium ions that cause hardness with sodium ions, resulting in softer water. With innovative features, easy installation, and efficient operation, DROP smart water softeners provide a solution to hard water issues, extending the lifespan of appliances, improving water taste, enhancing soap effectiveness, reducing scale build-up, and increasing the overall water efficiency in your home.

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