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1. What is the hardness of my water?

The water hardness within Pasco County’s potable water system typically has a range of 12 – 15 Grains per Gallon (GPG) or 205 -257 Milligrams per Liter (mg/l).  Similar to many of Florida water sources, it is considered hard. 

Pasco County Utilities public water systems meet and exceeds all water quality parameters set forth by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and other regulatory agencies.  

In short, water conditioning units can be useful, but do require some additional maintenance and upkeep from the consumer.

2. I am not on the Pasco County Water System but want to know the hardness of my water. What do I do?

If you are on a different system (pay your water bill to another utility) than you should check with them first to see if they have data available. If they don’t or if you are on a private well have your water tested here at the laboratory. There is a charge for hardness analysis.

3. Will the lab come to my house and sample my water?

No. You come to the lab, tell us what you want to test for, purchase the bottles, and conduct the sampling yourself. Or you can hire a private company to sample for you and have the analysis done.

4. What can I use to bring a water sample for testing? I have a jar that I cleaned really well. Can’t I just use that to sample?

No. Different tests have different bottle type, sampling and preservation requirements. The laboratory will not accept samples that are not in approved sampling containers.

5. I want to have my water tested. What should I test for?

The following questions will be asked prior to testing:

• Is there a specific problem?
• Are you on a water system? 
• Have you contacted your utility? 

Testing varies in cost depending on the analysis being done. Please be clear on why you are testing and for what.

6. My water smells like rotten eggs. What should I test for?

The rotten egg smell is Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S), a naturally occurring gas. If you smell it, it is there. Your sense of smell can detect H2S at very low levels, lower then the detection limit of our test. Additionally, there is a charge to analyze for H2S.

7. Does Pasco County add Fluoride to the water?

No.

8. My water is hard. Do you recommend I purchase a water softener?

We don’t recommend one way or the other. This is a personal preference as hardness, which is defined as dissolved calcium and magnesium carbonates in the water, is an aesthetic issue and not a health issue. Hardness is not a regulated parameter and it comes down to personal preferences.