Sarasota County's water comes from a mix of Floridan Aquifer wells, the Peace River, and purchased supply from Manatee County, and the hardness levels vary sharply by location. North Port and eastern Englewood, which sit closest to deep aquifer wellfields, can test at 18 to 25 or more grains per gallon, among the highest in the region. Venice and Nokomis draw from a Peace River blend with aquifer sources and typically run 12 to 18 grains per gallon, while Sarasota and Osprey vary by distribution zone. Older homes in downtown Sarasota and along Venice Island have galvanized or copper plumbing where hard water accelerates corrosion, while newer developments in Palmer Ranch and Wellen Park face the same high-hardness source water regardless of their modern pipe materials.