Centerville Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Centerville, Ohio, in Montgomery County south of Dayton — one of the Dayton metropolitan area's most prosperous suburbs, consistently ranked among Ohio's top communities for quality of life — receives its municipal water from the City of Centerville Water Division or through the Greater Dayton Water Authority, drawing from the Great Miami River and the celebrated Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer. This buried valley aquifer system, formed when glacial meltwater carved deep channels through the Dayton area and filled them with clean gravel and sand, is one of the most studied and respected groundwater resources in the United States.

The moderately hard 164.5 mg/L hardness and TDS of 326.3 mg/L reflect the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer's carbonate-derived character. The thick Pleistocene glacial outwash filling the buried valley was eroded primarily from Silurian and Devonian limestone and dolomite formations of the Ohio carbonate plain — including the Silurian Bass Islands Dolomite, Salina Group, and Devonian Columbus Limestone exposed throughout western Ohio. Water percolating through this calcareous outwash picks up substantial calcium and magnesium bicarbonate, producing consistently moderate hardness throughout the Miami Valley municipal water supply zone.

At 164.5 mg/L, Centerville's water is moderately hard — a familiar daily reality for Dayton metro households. Scale forms gradually in kettles and coffee machines over one to two months, the dishwasher benefits from rinse aid to prevent glassware spotting, and bathroom fixtures develop calcium rings over time. Quarterly descaling of heating appliances is the appropriate maintenance schedule. The PFAS level of 6.4 ppt is moderate for the Dayton region — Wright-Patterson Air Force Base contributes to the regional PFAS background, and a certified drinking water filter is a sensible investment for Centerville residents.