Hard water in Allouez, WI
Reported by Allouez Waterworks · May 2025
- WI typical
- 170 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Allouez has about 136 mg/L of hardness, which is 8.0 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Allouez Waterworks, dated May 2025.
At 136 mg/L, Allouez is 34 mg/L below the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 4 have softer water and 6 have harder. The range nearby runs from 67 mg/L in Neenah to 196 in Suamico.
What 136 mg/L means at home
Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.
Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.
Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.
Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.
What to do about it
At 136 mg/L most of the trouble is scale, and only a few things deal with it.
Ion-exchange water softener
The standard whole-house fix. It swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium and needs salt plus a drain. Size it with the calculator below.
Salt-free conditioner
No salt and no drain line. It changes how minerals form scale instead of removing them, so water still tests hard.
Reverse osmosis or carbon filter
Under-sink reverse osmosis removes minerals from drinking water only. Plain carbon filters improve taste but do not soften.
3 people × 75 gallons a day × 8.0 gpg = 1,789 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 13 days.
EPA record for Allouez's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 13,923 people from surface water.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 1
- Open now
- 0
TapWaterData ties Allouez to this system. EPA's service-area records do not name Allouez, so check the utility printed on your water bill.
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 1 | 2024 | Resolved |
Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.
Questions
Is Allouez water hard?
Yes. It measures about 136 mg/L (8.0 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Allouez in grains per gallon?
About 8.0 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 136 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.0.
What size water softener do I need in Allouez?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.0 gpg works out to about 1,789 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 13 days.
Has the Allouez water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Allouez Waterworks since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- De Pere194 mg/LVery hard
- Green Bay137 mg/LHard
- Suamico196 mg/LVery hard
- Little Chute87 mg/LModerately hard
- Kimberly73 mg/LModerately hard
- Appleton81 mg/LModerately hard
- Menasha166 mg/LHard
- Fox Crossing166 mg/LHard
- Greenville152 mg/LHard
- Neenah67 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, May 22, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.