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Local Water Quality6 min readSeptember 3, 2026

Central Florida Water Hardness by Utility: What the 2025 Water Quality Reports Say

Hardness and disinfectant for OUC, Toho Water Authority, the City of Apopka and Orange County Utilities, taken from each utility's own 2025 water quality report or website, with links to every source.

Central Florida utilities draw from the Floridan Aquifer, but they do not all publish a hardness number. Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) states an average of 129 ppm, about 7 grains per gallon. The City of Apopka reports 120 to 200 mg/L (7.0 to 11.7 grains per gallon). Toho Water Authority, which serves Kissimmee, St. Cloud and Poinciana, and Orange County Utilities do not list hardness in their 2025 water quality reports. All four use chlorine; Toho's Harmony system uses chloramine. The only way to know the hardness at your tap is to measure it there.

How this table was built

Every figure below comes from the utility's own 2025 water quality report (the annual Consumer Confidence Report) or from the utility's own website. Where a utility does not publish a number, the table says so instead of estimating one. Each source is linked in the table and again at the end of the article.

Hardness is shown the way each utility states it. For reference, the U.S. Geological Survey classifies water as soft at 0 to 60 mg/L as calcium carbonate, moderately hard at 61 to 120 mg/L, hard at 121 to 180 mg/L and very hard above 180 mg/L (USGS, Hardness of Water). One grain per gallon is about 17.1 mg/L.

The table: hardness and disinfectant by utility

Utility Areas it names Hardness (as the utility states it) Disinfectant Source
Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) Orlando and parts of Orange County Average 129 ppm, about 7 grains per gallon Ozone treatment, then chlorine. OUC answers "No" to "Does OUC use chloramines?" OUC Water Services, OUC 2025 Water Quality Report
Toho Water Authority St. Cloud, Kissimmee, Poinciana and unincorporated parts of Osceola, Polk and Orange counties Not listed in the 2025 reports Chlorine in the Central, Southern, St. Cloud and Western reports. The Harmony system in the Eastern report uses chloramines. Toho Water Quality Reports, Toho service area
City of Apopka City of Apopka water customers "Moderately hard", 120 to 200 mg/L (7.0 to 11.7 grains per gallon) Chlorine City of Apopka 2025 Water Quality Report
Orange County Utilities Unincorporated Orange County, by regional water system Not listed in the 2025 report Chlorine in every system table Orange County Utilities 2025 Drinking Water Report

Notes:

  • Kissimmee's electric utility is Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA). Kissimmee's drinking water comes from Toho Water Authority, which lists Kissimmee in its service area.
  • Toho publishes five 2025 reports, one for each of its service areas: Central, Eastern, Southern, St. Cloud and Western. Its Water Quality Reports page has an address map that tells you which report covers your home.
  • Other Central Florida cities, including those in Lake, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties, run their own utilities. Their reports are posted on each utility's website, and EPA's Find Your Local CCR tool searches by state, water system name, or city or county.

Disinfectant levels in the 2025 reports

The disinfectant matters when you choose a filter. Standard carbon handles free chlorine well; chloramine needs catalytic carbon or more contact time. Here is what each report shows as the running annual average (RAA):

Utility and system Chlorine RAA Range Report
OUC 1.2 ppm 0.2 to 2.2 ppm OUC 2025 Water Quality Report
Toho, Eastern Water System (Central report) 1.78 ppm 0.5 to 2.8 ppm Toho 2025 Central report
Toho, City of St. Cloud Water System 1.57 ppm 0.5 to 2.9 ppm Toho 2025 St. Cloud report
Toho, Poinciana Water System 1.83 ppm 0.6 to 3.0 ppm Toho 2025 Southern report
City of Apopka 1.9 ppm 1.7 to 2.0 ppm City of Apopka 2025 Water Quality Report
Orange County Utilities, Eastern Regional Water System 1.32 ppm 0.20 to 2.56 ppm Orange County Utilities 2025 Drinking Water Report

What the hardness numbers mean for your home

At OUC's stated average of about 7 grains per gallon, scale builds up slowly but steadily in water heaters, dishwashers and on fixtures. At the top of Apopka's range, 11.7 grains per gallon, it builds up faster. Tankless water heater makers set maximum hardness levels in their installation and warranty terms, so check your model's manual against your own number.

Hardness is not a health issue. Calcium and magnesium are not regulated contaminants. The drinking water questions that matter more in Central Florida are disinfection by-products and, for some systems, PFAS. Both are reported in the same annual reports.

Why your tap can differ from the report

A utility report describes the whole system. Your tap can differ because of which wellfield or plant feeds your street, the season, and your own plumbing. That is why we test at the tap before we size a softener.

What to do next

  1. Find your utility on your water bill.
  2. Open that utility's 2025 report from the links above and check the disinfectant.
  3. If your utility does not publish hardness, or you want the number for your own tap, book a test.

Pure Agua Enterprises is a family-owned water treatment company in Kissimmee, open since 2016. Our free in-home water test measures hardness, iron, pH, TDS and disinfectant at your tap. Schedule a free water test or call (407) 773-2883.

Sources

Central Florida Water QualityWater HardnessOUCToho Water AuthorityKissimmeeOrlandoConsumer Confidence ReportWater SoftenerFloridan Aquifer

Questions About Your Water?

Pure Agua offers free in-home water testing throughout the Kissimmee and Orlando metro area.

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