Fairborn Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Fairborn, Ohio, in Greene County — a major southwest Ohio Dayton suburban community (Fairborn is directly adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — one of the most important military installations in the United States, home of the Air Force Materiel Command and one of the largest research, development, testing, and acquisition centers in the world; Fairborn's economy and community are closely linked to WPAFB), home of Wright State University (a major Dayton area public university with a significant STEM and aerospace focus — Wright State's proximity to WPAFB creates a significant research and defense technology cluster), a diverse Greene County community with a significant active-duty military, veteran, and civilian federal employee population, and a community in the Dayton metropolitan area — draws its municipal water supply from the Mad River via the City of Fairborn Water Division. Water hardness in Fairborn measures 194 mg/L — classified as very hard.

Fairborn's very hard supply reflects the southwest Ohio Mad River watershed's highly calcareous Silurian–Devonian carbonate geology. The Mad River at Fairborn–Greene County drains: the Silurian Niagaran Dolomite (highly calcareous dolomite of the Ohio Silurian carbonate platform); and the Devonian Columbus Limestone (highly calcareous marine limestone). City of Fairborn applies limited treatment, producing the very hard 194 mg/L.

At 194 mg/L, Fairborn residents face significant hard water challenges. Regular descaling and appliance protection measures are strongly recommended. City of Fairborn Water Division consistently delivers water meeting all Ohio EPA and federal EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.