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Local water dashboard

Official source aggregation

Water quality in Amherst, OH 44001

A source-transparent look at local hardness, associated public water systems, EPA compliance history, and the measurements that are—and are not—available for Lorain County.

1 reported benchmark flag
Primary matched system
Amherst City Pws
Source water
Surface water
County
Lorain County
Profile updated

At a glance

What the current records say

Hardness

Hard

164 PPM · 9.6 GPG

Compliance screen

No active flag

0 active health-based records

Lead 90th percentile

0.0025 mg/L

17% of action level

Utility match

1 system

Serves 11,797 people system-wide

Hardness meter

How hard is the water?

Hard

Estimated local hardness

USGS hardness classification scale

164 PPM

Soft
0–59Moderate
60–120Hard
121–180Very hard
181+

Parts per million

164

mg/L as CaCO₃ equivalent

Grains per gallon

9.6

1 GPG ≈ 17.1 PPM

What this means at home

At 164 PPM, mineral scale can build up on fixtures and heating elements, reduce soap lather, and leave visible spotting. Hardness is primarily an aesthetic and appliance concern—not itself a tap-water safety rating.

USGS sites used

5

Nearest site

3.1 mi

Observation range

Nov 1, 2017–May 1, 2019

Estimate confidence

Moderate

Median of the latest qualifying hardness observation at each nearby monitoring site. Nearest monitoring location: Vermilion River near Vermilion OH (Stream).USGS source documentation ↗

Regional context

Is 44001 typical?

These comparisons use other indexed ZIP estimates, not utility tap samples. They help show local context without replacing a household test.

Amherst median

164 PPM

About the same

1 indexed ZIP readings · Range 164–164 PPM

Ohio median

226 PPM

62 PPM lower

162 indexed ZIP readings · Range 77.2–387 PPM

EPA benchmark screen

Contaminant snapshot

Available numerical results from associated SDWIS community water systems, compared with the applicable action level or federal MCL. Federal measured-value coverage is incomplete.

1 pass1 fail

Lead (PB90)

0.0025 mg/L

Reported Dec 31, 2024

Copper (CU90)

130 mg/L

Reported Sep 30, 2004

Numerical coverage

2 comparable results

Missing values remain blank; absence is not treated as a pass.

Lead (90th percentile)

Measured in mg/L

Pass

Local 0.0025

EPA limit 0.015

Local level is 17% of the listed EPA limit.

Copper (90th percentile)

Measured in mg/L

Fail

Local 130

EPA limit 1.3

Local level is 10000% of the listed EPA limit.

Share of EPA benchmark

100% line = listed limit

EPA SDWIS compliance

Reported violation history

Open EPA source documentation ↗
2026Q2
All records
2
Health-based
0
Active health-based
0
Contaminant or ruleSystemStatusPeriod
Consumer Confidence RuleOH4700003ResolvedJul 1, 2021through Aug 24, 2021
Consumer Confidence RuleOH4700003UnaddressedJan 23, 2019

No reported violation does not prove that every contaminant was tested or absent; SDWIS measured values are incomplete and lag state records.

Solutions matcher

Your personalized water action plan

Matched to Amherst ZIP 44001 using 164 PPM nearby hardness and 2 reported measurement benchmarks.

2 matches

Scale protection

High-Capacity Whole House Water Softener

164 PPM is 1× the high-hardness trigger used by this matcher.

Designed to reduce scale on fixtures, water heaters, glassware, and plumbing throughout the home.

Compare whole-house systems

Drinking water protection

Under-Sink Reverse Osmosis System

Copper (90th percentile) has a measured benchmark flag or active health-based SDWIS record in this profile.

A certified multi-stage RO system targets a broader range of dissolved contaminants at the kitchen tap.

Explore under-sink filtration

Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases, at no added cost to you. Product matching is educational and does not replace certified water testing.

Frequently asked

Water questions for Amherst

Is tap water safe in Amherst?+

EPA ECHO shows no active health-based violation for the associated systems in this reporting snapshot. This does not prove every contaminant is absent; federal records can lag and household plumbing can change tap conditions.

How hard is the water?+

Nearby USGS observations produce an estimate of 164 PPM, or 9.6 grains per gallon, classified as hard. This is not a household tap measurement.

Do I need a water softener?+

At 164 PPM, a correctly sized whole-house softener can reduce scale and hard-water spotting. It does not replace contaminant filtration.