How hard is the water in Pickerington, OH?
Reported by Columbus Public Water System · September 2025
- OH typical
- 113 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Pickerington carries roughly 97 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.7 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Columbus Public Water System, dated September 2025.
Pickerington sits 16 mg/L below the typical Ohio figure of 113. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 96 mg/L in Gahanna to 97 in Canal Winchester.
What 97 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.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.7 gpg = 1,274 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 18 days.
EPA record for Pickerington's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 19,141 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 1
- Open now
- 1
EPA lists Pickerington City PWS as the system serving Pickerington. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Pickerington.
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 Pickerington water hard?
Somewhat. It measures about 97 mg/L (5.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.
What is the water hardness in Pickerington in grains per gallon?
About 5.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 97 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.7.
What size water softener do I need in Pickerington?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.7 gpg works out to about 1,274 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 18 days.
Has the Pickerington water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Pickerington City PWS since 2016. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Canal Winchester97 mg/LModerately hard
- Reynoldsburg97 mg/LModerately hard
- Blacklick Estates97 mg/LModerately hard
- Groveport97 mg/LModerately hard
- Whitehall97 mg/LModerately hard
- Pataskala97 mg/LModerately hard
- Obetz97 mg/LModerately hard
- Bexley97 mg/LModerately hard
- Gahanna96 mg/LModerately hard
- Columbus97 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 30, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.