How hard is the water in Painesville, OH?

Tap water hardness
90mg/L
5.3gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Lake County East Water Subdistrict · January 2025

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

The water in Painesville carries roughly 90 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.3 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Lake County East Water Subdistrict, dated January 2025.

Painesville on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+OH typical 113Mentor: 67 mg/LMentor 67Hudson: 104 mg/LHudson 104Cleveland: 111 mg/LCleveland 111Fairview Park: 111 mg/LFairview Park 111Lakewood: 112 mg/LLakewood 112Bainbridge: 117 mg/LBainbridge 117Ashtabula: 117 mg/LAshtabula 117Reminderville: 117 mg/LReminderville 117Aurora: 117 mg/LAurora 117Solon: 210 mg/LSolon 210Painesville 90mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+OH 113Mentor: 67 mg/LMentor 67Cleveland: 111 mg/LCleveland 111Bainbridge: 117 mg/LBainbridge 117Ashtabula: 117 mg/LAshtabula 117Reminderville: 117 mg/LRemindervi. 117Solon: 210 mg/LSolon 21090 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 90 mg/L, Painesville is 23 mg/L below the typical Ohio figure of 113. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 67 mg/L in Mentor to 210 in Solon.

What 90 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 Painesville

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.3 gpg = 1,186 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Painesville's water system

Lake County East Water Subdistrict · PWSID OH4302911

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 40,656 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
0
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 Painesville water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 90 mg/L (5.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 90 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.3.

What size water softener do I need in Painesville?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.3 gpg works out to about 1,186 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Painesville water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Lake County East Water Subdistrict since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 108 cities in Ohio

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, January 19, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.