Water hardness is defined as ppm of CaCO3 in water (you can find the hardness value in your local water report). If the hardness is 100 ppm, it means there are 100 mg of CaCO3 in 1.000 L of water. Source of CO3^2- Since CO2 is in air, which dissolved in any open air, turns into H2CO3, Ca2+ is mainly present in water as CaCO3.