Kent Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Kent, Ohio, in Portage County — a major northeast Ohio university city (Kent is a significant Portage County city — home of Kent State University (one of the most historically significant public universities in the United States — a major northeast Ohio comprehensive public university with strong programs in journalism, education, art, and fashion design; Kent State is most remembered for the Kent State massacre of May 4, 1970 — when Ohio National Guard troops shot and killed four student protesters during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration on the Kent State campus, wounding nine others; this tragic event became one of the most galvanizing moments of the Vietnam War protest era and led to the creation of the Kent State May 4 Visitors Center and national memorial)), a diverse Portage County community with a significant Kent State student and faculty, working-class Akron suburb, and Rust Belt manufacturing heritage population, adjacent to Ravenna in the Portage County seat corridor, home of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (partially adjacent to the Kent area), and a city shaped profoundly by its university history — draws its municipal water supply from the Cuyahoga River via the City of Kent Water Division. Water hardness in Kent measures 232.5 mg/L — classified as very hard.

Kent's very hard supply reflects the Portage County Cuyahoga River Valley Devonian geology's calcareous character. The Cuyahoga River at Kent–Portage County drains the Devonian Ohio Shale (calcareous) and Berea Sandstone (calcareous-moderate). City of Kent applies limited softening, producing the very hard 232.5 mg/L.

At 232.5 mg/L, Kent residents face significant hard water challenges. Regular water softeners and descaling are strongly recommended. City of Kent Water Division consistently delivers water meeting all Ohio EPA and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.