Hard water in Mansfield, OH

Tap water hardness
274mg/L
16.0gpg
Very hardCounty estimate

County estimate from 287 water samples in Richland County · July 2026

OH typical
113 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
7
Softener for 3 people
32k grain
Data
County estimate

Water samples from around Mansfield put hardness at about 274 mg/L (16.0 gpg), which would be very hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 287 samples taken across Richland County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Mansfield's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Mansfield's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.

Mansfield on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+OH typical 113Oberlin: 50 mg/LOberlin 50Newark: 77 mg/LNewark 77Wooster: 85 mg/LWooster 85Medina: 88 mg/LMedina 88Delaware: 94 mg/LDelaware 94New Albany: 97 mg/LNew Albany 97Elyria: 220 mg/LElyria 220Wadsworth: 247 mg/LWadsworth 247Sandusky: 260 mg/LSandusky 260Marion: 311 mg/LMarion 311Mansfield 274mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+OH 113Oberlin: 50 mg/LOberlin 50Wooster: 85 mg/LWooster 85Medina: 88 mg/LMedina 88Delaware: 94 mg/LDelaware 94Wadsworth: 247 mg/LWadsworth 247Marion: 311 mg/LMarion 311274 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Mansfield sits 161 mg/L above the typical Ohio figure of 113. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 50 mg/L in Oberlin to 311 in Marion.

What 274 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 274 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.

Softener size for Mansfield

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 16.0 gpg = 3,604 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Mansfield's water system

Mansfield City · PWSID OH7002914

7 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 51,000 people from surface water.

Health-based
7
Monitoring or reporting
5
Open now
1

EPA lists this system as serving Mansfield.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)Surface Water Treatment RuleLead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)Surface Water Treatment RuleLead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2)filtration and disinfection22025Resolved
Surface Water Treatment Rulefiltration and disinfection22019–2025Resolved
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling32018–2024Resolved

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 Mansfield water hard?

Yes. It measures about 274 mg/L (16.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

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

About 16.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 274 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 16.0.

What size water softener do I need in Mansfield?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 16.0 gpg works out to about 3,604 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.

Has the Mansfield water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 7 health-based violations for Mansfield City since 2016, involving Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2), Surface Water Treatment Rule, Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 5 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 (county estimate, July 4, 2026), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.