How hard is the water in Cleveland, OH?

Tap water hardness
111mg/L
6.5gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Cleveland Public Water System · August 2025

OH typical
113 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Cleveland carries roughly 111 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 6.5 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Cleveland Public Water System, dated August 2025.

Cleveland on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+OH typical 113Avon Lake: 78 mg/LAvon Lake 78Fairview Park: 111 mg/LFairview Park 111Lakewood: 112 mg/LLakewood 112Reminderville: 117 mg/LReminderville 117Bainbridge: 117 mg/LBainbridge 117Avon: 130 mg/LAvon 130North Olmsted: 210 mg/LNorth Olmsted 210Solon: 210 mg/LSolon 210North Ridgeville: 220 mg/LNorth Ridgeville 220Brunswick: 247 mg/LBrunswick 247Cleveland 111mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+OH 113Avon Lake: 78 mg/LAvon Lake 78Fairview Park: 111 mg/LFairview P. 111Lakewood: 112 mg/LLakewood 112Avon: 130 mg/LAvon 130North Olmsted: 210 mg/LNorth Olms. 210Solon: 210 mg/LSolon 210111 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Cleveland sits close to the typical Ohio figure of 113 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 78 mg/L in Avon Lake to 247 in Brunswick.

What 111 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Cleveland

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 6.5 gpg = 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 16 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Cleveland's water system

Cleveland Public Water System · PWSID OH1801212

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 1,308,955 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
9
Open now
0

Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.

Questions

Is Cleveland water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 111 mg/L (6.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Cleveland in grains per gallon?

About 6.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 111 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 6.5.

What size water softener do I need in Cleveland?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 6.5 gpg works out to about 1,460 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 16 days.

Has the Cleveland water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Cleveland Public Water System since 2016. There were also 9 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 108 cities in Ohio

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 25, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.