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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.

CityHardness ppm (mg/L)Hardness gpgInformation SourceNotes
Columbus120ppm7gpgLink
Cleveland113ppm6.6gpgLink
Cincinnati128ppm7gpgLinkTwo plants, one with 122ppm other with 134ppm, took average
Toledo17.1ppm1gpgLinkHad to convert from grain/gallon to ppm here. 2020 data was latest I found, looks like they stopped including it in reports in 2021
Akron106ppm6gpgLinkLatest info I found was from 2020
Dayton155ppm9gpgLink
Parma113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Cantonn/an/aLinkNo water report in last 5 years provides a specific measure of hardness.
Lorainn/an/aLinkNot included in city water report. Does pull from Lake Erie, so may be the same/similar as Cleveland but cannot confirm
Hamiltonn/an/aLinkNot included in city water report.
Youngstown120ppm6.9gpgLinkYoungstown sources water from Meader Valley
Springfield148ppm8.7gpgLinkListed as 337.43ppm/19.73gpg before city treats it down to 148/8.7
Kettering157ppm9gpgLink
Elyrian/an/aLinkWater quality reports don’t include hardness.
Middletownn/an/aLinkWater quality reports don’t include hardness.
Cuyahoga Falls170ppm10gpgLinkDocument gives range of 160-180ppm, used calculation to convert to gpg
Newark118ppm6.9gpgLinkCalculated gpg based on ppm
Lakewood113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Dublin120ppm7gpgLinkIncluded in Columbus Water Quality Report, per linked source
Euclid113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Mansfieldn/an/aLinkNot included in city water report
Mentorn/an/aLinkDocument was a dead link when I tried to connect 9/13
Beavercreekn/an/aLinkGreene County Water Report doesn’t include hardness
Strongsville113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Cleveland Heights113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Fairfield130ppm7.6gpgLink
Huber Heightsn/an/aLinkNeither the Consumer Confidence nor the Water Integrity study have hardness measures
Delaware130ppm7.5gpgLinkUsed the midpoints of ranges provided
Grove City120ppm7gpgLinkProvided by Columbus water works
Reynoldsburg106.5ppm6.2gpgLinkTook average value of city’s two treatment plants
Lancaster344.33ppm20.1gpgLinkMeasured as CCPP in this linked document.
Findlayn/an/aLinkAnnual reports don’t include hardness
Warrenn/an/aLinkAnnual reports don’t include hardness
Westerville110ppm6.4gpgLink
Hilliard120ppm7gpgLinkIncluded in Columbus Water Quality Report, per linked source
Upper Arlington120ppm7gpgLinkIncluded in Columbus Water Quality Report, per linked source
North Ridgevillen/an/aLinkAnnual reports don’t include hardness
Liman/an/aLinkLinked source says they soften water at treatment plants but don’t list goal. Also not listed in consumer report PDFs on same page.
Marion144ppm8.4gpgLinkNewest source I could find is 2012, also calculated gpg based on ppm
Gahanna120ppm7gpgLinkIncluded in Columbus Water Quality Report, per linked source
Brunswick113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Mason128ppm7gpgLinkService provided by Greater Cincinnati Water Works per linked source, so used the avg numbers for Cincy here.
Fairbornn/an/aLinkNone of the water quality reports from last 3 years include hardness
Stow120ppm7gpgLinkCalculated the ppm based on the gpg provided in report
Westlake113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Massillonn/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report
North Olmsted113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
North Royalton113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Bowling Greenn/an/aLinkNot 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 Heights113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Shaker Heights113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Kent90ppm5.3gpgLink317ppm unfiltered, calculated gpg
Greenn/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report
Wooster101ppm5.9gpgLinkCalculated gpg based on ppm
Troy115ppm6.7gpgLinkCalculated gpg based on ppm
Marysvillen/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report
Medinan/an/aLinkPurchases from Avon which doesn’t include hardness in consumer confidence report
Avon Laken/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report
Xenian/an/aLinkGreene County Water Report doesn’t include hardness
Avonn/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report
Perrysburg17.1ppm1gpgLinkSources from Toledo per linked document
Barberton137ppm8gpgLink2021 Report
Sanduskyn/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report, most recent I could find was 2019. Sources from Lake Erie
Centerville157ppm9gpgLinkPart of Montgomery County/Dayton city water.
Zanesvillen/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report
Riverside157ppm9gpgLinkPart of Montgomery County/Dayton city water.
Athens144ppm8.4gpgLink
Wadsworthn/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report, although it does mention they do test for it, no number provided
Pickerington200ppm11.7gpgLinkVery old (2010) information, not listed in more recent consumer reports
Solon113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Willoughbyn/an/aLinkHardness not listed, but pulls from Lake Erie and is right by Cleveland, so may be same/similar.
Maple Heights113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Hudson130ppm7.6gpgLinkSoftened from nearly 500ppm per linked source
Trotwoodn/an/aLinkNot included in either water quality assessment on city public works site
Oxford350ppm20.5gpgLink
Chillicothen/an/aLinkNot included in consumer confidence report
Alliance150ppm8.8gpgLinkOld document, but most recent listed on city website (from 2010)
South Euclid113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Rocky River113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Lebanon128ppm7gpgLinkPurchases from Cincinnati, so used those numbers.
Painesville119ppm6.9gpgLink
Parma Heights113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Piqua252ppm14.7gpgLinkReport from city website is from 2011
Sidney113.17ppm6.6gpgLink
Whitehall120ppm7gpgLinkColumbus provides water to Whitehall per linked article
Mayfield Heights113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Forest Park128ppm7gpgLinkPurchases water from Cincinnati
Oregonn/an/aLinkHardness not included in city water quality report
Miamisburg137ppm8gpgLink
Broadview Heights113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Twinsburg113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Ashlandn/an/aLinkHardness not included in city water quality report
Springboron/an/aLinkHardness not included in city water quality report
Sylvania17.1ppm1gpgLinkPurchases from City of Toledo, per linked document
Norwood128ppm7gpgLinkPurchases treated water from Greater Cincinnati Water Works
Berean/an/aLinkNot included in city water quality report
Niles120ppm6.9gpgLinkNiles Water sourced from Meader Valley
Brook Park113ppm6.6gpgLinkIncluded in Cleveland Water Quality Report which covers 80 communities.
Tallmadge112ppm7gpgLinkBoth ppm and gpg are listed in the linked doc, looks as though the gpg was rounded up in the document.
Pataskala110ppm6.4gpgLinkTook 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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