ClearQuest publishes Tampa Bay water hardness index showing hard to very hard water

ClearQuest Water Solutions has released a free public index measuring residential water hardness across Tampa Bay and Hernando County, with readings from 9 to 18 grains per gallon. The company says the data fills a reporting gap because utilities are not required to publish hardness in annual water quality reports.

Why it matters: - Tampa Bay and Hernando County homeowners now have a local reference for water hardness, a key factor in limescale, spotty glassware and soap performance. - Most readings in the index fall in the very hard range, which can affect appliances, plumbing and the need for water softeners. - The index fills a gap because utilities are not required to report hardness in annual Consumer Confidence Reports.

What happened: - ClearQuest Water Solutions, a Lutz-based family-owned water treatment company, published a free public hardness index for residential water across the Tampa Bay region and Hernando County. - The company reported measured hardness between 9 and 18 grains per gallon, or roughly 154 to 308 parts per million. - Every area measured landed in the hard or very hard category. None measured soft or moderately hard. - ClearQuest says the index is based on readings taken at kitchen taps in homes that requested water tests.

The details: - Wesley Chapel on Pasco County water measured 10.5 to 18 grains per gallon, or 180 to 308 parts per million. - Spring Hill on the Pasco County side measured 10 to 18 grains per gallon, or 171 to 308 parts per million. - Odessa, drawing from wells and Pasco County water, measured 12 to 14 grains per gallon, or 205 to 239 parts per million. - Lutz private wells measured 10 to 14 grains per gallon, or 171 to 239 parts per million, with higher readings in some homes. - Land O' Lakes measured 10 to 14 grains per gallon, or 171 to 239 parts per million. - New Tampa on City of Tampa water measured 9 to 14 grains per gallon, or 154 to 239 parts per million. - Spring Hill on the Hernando County side and wells measured 9 to 12 grains per gallon, or 154 to 205 parts per million. - ClearQuest reports both grains per gallon and parts per million because utilities use ppm while softener equipment is specified in grains per gallon. - One grain per gallon equals about 17.1 parts per million as calcium carbonate. - Under U.S. Geological Survey classification, water above 121 parts per million, or about 7 grains per gallon, is hard. - Water above 180 parts per million, or about 10.5 grains per gallon, is very hard. - A review of Pasco County Utilities' 2025 water quality reports found no hardness figure, even though the reports list regulated contaminants and sodium. - The City of Tampa is a rare regional exception and publishes a hardness range of 140 to 300 parts per million, or roughly 8 to 17 grains per gallon, with seasonal variation. - ClearQuest said its New Tampa readings of 154 to 239 parts per million fall inside the City of Tampa's published range, serving as an independent check. - Zach Brownell said the company has carried a test kit into homes for three years and already had the answer people were searching for. - Brownell said county water measured as hard as wells around the region, and in some cases harder.

Between the lines: - The findings challenge a common assumption that private wells are always harder than municipal water. - The data also shows how inconsistent public information is across utilities, with some systems reporting hardness and others omitting it entirely. - ClearQuest is transparent that the index is a convenience sample, not a randomized survey. - The readings reflect homes that contacted the company, not a statistical cross-section of each city. - Brownell said the index is not a scientific study and should be replaced by better utility data if that becomes available. - The report also underscores the role of the Floridan aquifer, which supplies much of west-central Florida and produces naturally hard water. - New construction does not change the water quality, which helps explain why many newer homes already include a softener loop.

What's next: - ClearQuest is expanding into Hernando County, including Spring Hill and Weeki Wachee, where thousands of new homes are under construction. - The company continues to offer free water tests and installation services for softeners, carbon filtration, iron and sulfur removal, and reverse osmosis drinking water systems. - Homeowners can request a free water test by calling (813) 729-2125. - ClearQuest serves Lutz, Wesley Chapel, Land O' Lakes, New Tampa, Tampa, Odessa, Trinity, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey, Brandon, Dade City, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Spring Hill, Weeki Wachee and Brooksville.

The bottom line: - ClearQuest's index gives Tampa Bay homeowners a concrete measure of a problem many utilities do not routinely publish: hard to very hard water across much of the region.