Hard water in Stow, OH
County estimate from 1,688 water samples in Summit County · July 2026
- OH typical
- 113 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- County estimate
Water samples from around Stow put hardness at about 220 mg/L (12.9 gpg), which would be very hard on the USGS scale. Treat this as a rough guide: it is the median of 1,688 samples taken across Summit County, mostly wells and streams, not a test of Stow's treated tap water. One more reason for caution: EPA lists Stow's water system as using surface water, which is often softer than the wells behind the county figure.
At 220 mg/L, Stow is 107 mg/L above the typical Ohio figure of 113. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has harder water. The range nearby runs from 104 mg/L in Hudson to 220 in Barberton.
What 220 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 220 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 × 12.9 gpg = 2,896 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.
EPA record for Stow's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 35,437 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 3
- Open now
- 2
EPA lists this system as serving Stow.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 1 | 2024 | Resolved |
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 Stow water hard?
Yes. It measures about 220 mg/L (12.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Stow in grains per gallon?
About 12.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 220 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 12.9.
What size water softener do I need in Stow?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 12.9 gpg works out to about 2,896 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.
Has the Stow water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Stow Public Water System since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 3 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Kent188 mg/LVery hard
- Hudson104 mg/LModerately hard
- Cuyahoga Falls116 mg/LModerately hard
- Akron116 mg/LModerately hard
- Aurora117 mg/LModerately hard
- Reminderville117 mg/LModerately hard
- Portage Lakes116 mg/LModerately hard
- Solon210 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.