Hard water in Kent, OH
County estimate from 744 water samples in Portage County · July 2026
- OH typical
- 113 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- County estimate
Water samples from around Kent put hardness at about 188 mg/L (11.0 gpg), which would be very hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 744 samples taken across Portage County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Kent's treated tap water.
At 188 mg/L, Kent is 75 mg/L above the typical Ohio figure of 113. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 104 mg/L in Hudson to 220 in Stow.
What 188 mg/L means at home
Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.
Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.
Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.
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
At 188 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.
Ion-exchange water softener
The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.
Salt-free conditioner
No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.
Reverse osmosis or carbon filter
Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 11.0 gpg = 2,473 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 9 days.
EPA record for Kent's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 29,662 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 1
- Open now
- 0
EPA lists this system as serving Kent.
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 Kent water hard?
Yes. It measures about 188 mg/L (11.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Kent in grains per gallon?
About 11.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 188 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 11.0.
What size water softener do I need in Kent?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 11.0 gpg works out to about 2,473 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 9 days.
Has the Kent water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Kent City PWS since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Stow220 mg/LVery hard
- Hudson104 mg/LModerately hard
- Akron116 mg/LModerately hard
- Cuyahoga Falls116 mg/LModerately hard
- Aurora117 mg/LModerately hard
- Reminderville117 mg/LModerately hard
- Portage Lakes116 mg/LModerately hard
- Green220 mg/LVery hard
- Barberton220 mg/LVery hard
- Bainbridge117 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.