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Florida water hardness, by utility.

14 Florida utilities serving 2.9 million people as they report it, from the state’s own results. Hardness is the calcium and magnesium in water; EPA sets no limit for it.

The short answer

Very hard water reaches the most people here: 5 utilities serving 1.3 million. Another 3 utilities, serving 735,067, have water in more than one band.

The largest, City of Tampa Water Department, is very hard, 211 mg/L (12.3 grains per gallon).

Very hard

Above 180 mg/L (10.5 grains per gallon). 5 utilities serving 1.3 million people, largest first.

Florida utilities: very hard water
UtilityBased inServesHardness, mg/LGrains per gallon
City of Tampa Water DepartmentTampa733,88621112.3
Pinellas County UtilitiesClearwater506,35321712.7
Mdwasa/Rex UtilitiesMiami45,20025815.1
Wauchula City Water DepartmentWauchula5,00033219.4
Dade Juvenile Residential FacilityFlorida City7528016.4

Hard

121 to 180 mg/L (7.1 to 10.5 grains per gallon). 1 utility serving 349,979 people, largest first.

Florida utilities: hard water
UtilityBased inServesHardness, mg/LGrains per gallon
City of St PetersburgOdessa349,9791589.2

Moderately hard

61 to 120 mg/L (3.6 to 7 grains per gallon). 1 utility serving 26,781 people, largest first.

Florida utilities: moderately hard water
UtilityBased inServesHardness, mg/LGrains per gallon
Citrus Springs - Pine RidgeDunnellon26,7811106.4

Soft

Up to 60 mg/L (3.5 grains per gallon). 4 utilities serving 516,784 people, largest first.

Florida utilities: soft water
UtilityBased inServesHardness, mg/LGrains per gallon
North Miami BeachNorth Miami Beach180,000533.1
City of HollywoodHollywood147,566221.3
West Palm Beach WTPWest Palm Beach132,000241.4
City of TitusvilleTitusville57,218603.5

Varies

Water in more than one band, depending on where or when it was sampled: each is given as its range, softest to hardest, and its report says more. 3 utilities serving 735,067 people, largest first.

Florida utilities: varies water
UtilityBased inServesHardness, mg/LGrains per gallon
Manatee County Utilities DeptBradenton347,800106 to 2796.2 to 16.3
Sarasota Co Special Util DistSarasota272,267124 to 2847.3 to 16.6
Clearwater Water SystemClearwater115,000124 to 2287.3 to 13.3

Source: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Drinking Water Program, 10 utilities, results from Jan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 26, 2024, read Oct. 10, 2026. Each sampling point is taken at its median; a figure is typical where every point falls in one band.

Also: 4 utilities’ own water quality reports, read by hand, each named on the utility’s page.

Bands are the U.S. Geological Survey’s, at 17.1 mg/L to the grain. People served is what each utility reports; where one sells water to another, the same people can be counted twice. How hardness is measured here.

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