Water in Upper Arlington
The 2020 census counted 36,800 people in Upper Arlington, in Franklin County. It is about 5.4 miles from downtown Columbus.
Upper Arlington is supplied by Columbus Water & Power as a contract community. Columbus treats Scioto River and Big Walnut Creek surface water, and Scioto Valley groundwater at the Parsons Avenue plant. The 2025 report lists finished-water hardness of 5.7–7.3 grains per gallon by plant (98–125 mg/L) and a system summary of 115 mg/L. The city does not publish which plant feeds a single Upper Arlington address, so that range is the number we use, and we still test at the house. Columbus Water & Power says a home filter is not required to make the water safe to drink. On this supply, a softener or filter is a choice about taste, odor, scale, and how appliances wear, not a safety fix.
City of Columbus water (Columbus Water & Power) - listed contract community publishes a hardness figure for this supply: 5.7-7.3 gpg (98-125 mg/L) 2025 annual avg by plant; system avg 115 mg/L.
ZIP codes on file for Upper Arlington are 43212, 43220, 43221.
Reverse osmosis installation here
Reverse osmosis in Upper Arlington belongs at the kitchen sink, for cooking and drinking. It is not a whole-house softener. A unit should be certified for the reductions you actually want. On Columbus water, the 2025 report shows higher sodium and sulfate at the Parsons Avenue plant and higher nitrate at Dublin Road, before the city's nitrate removal process. Those are drinking-water details, and the city does not pin them to one Upper Arlington street.
Nearby cities
Hilliard is 4.3 miles from Upper Arlington, in Franklin County. Water there is City of Columbus water (Columbus Water & Power) - listed contract community. Published hardness: 5.7-7.3 gpg (98-125 mg/L) 2025 annual avg by plant; system avg 115 mg/L.
Worthington is 5.9 miles from Upper Arlington, in Franklin County. Water there is City of Columbus water (Columbus Water & Power) - listed contract community. Published hardness: 5.7-7.3 gpg (98-125 mg/L) 2025 annual avg by plant; system avg 115 mg/L.
Dublin is 7.3 miles from Upper Arlington, in Franklin County. Water there is City of Columbus water (Columbus Water & Power) - listed contract community. Published hardness: 5.7-7.3 gpg (98-125 mg/L) 2025 annual avg by plant; system avg 115 mg/L.
Bexley is 7.7 miles from Upper Arlington, in Franklin County. Water there is City of Columbus water (Columbus Water & Power) - listed contract community. Published hardness: 5.7-7.3 gpg (98-125 mg/L) 2025 annual avg by plant; system avg 115 mg/L.
More in Upper Arlington
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Questions people ask
Who supplies drinking water in Upper Arlington?
City of Columbus water (Columbus Water & Power) - listed contract community. City of Columbus water (Columbus Water & Power) - listed contract community publishes a hardness figure for this supply: 5.7-7.3 gpg (98-125 mg/L) 2025 annual avg by plant; system avg 115 mg/L.
Is the water in Upper Arlington hard?
5.7-7.3 gpg (98-125 mg/L) 2025 annual avg by plant; system avg 115 mg/L. That is the published figure, in the units the utility used. Spots on glass and scale in a water heater are the household signs. The test confirms the number at the address.
How is Upper Arlington different from Hilliard?
Hilliard is 4.3 miles from Upper Arlington, in Franklin County. Water there is City of Columbus water (Columbus Water & Power) - listed contract community. Published hardness: 5.7-7.3 gpg (98-125 mg/L) 2025 annual avg by plant; system avg 115 mg/L.
Which ZIP codes does the Upper Arlington page cover?
43212, 43220, 43221. Those come from a named place source, not a guessed centroid. Houses just outside the city limits may be on a different supplier.