How hard is the water in Altoona, WI?

Tap water hardness
102mg/L
5.9gpg
Moderately hardReports range 69–102

Reported by Eau Claire Waterworks · September 2025

WI typical
170 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Altoona water measures 102 mg/L (5.9 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Eau Claire Waterworks, dated September 2025. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 69 to 102 mg/L.

Altoona on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WI typical 170Chippewa Falls: 49 mg/LChippewa Falls 49Lake Hallie: 61 mg/LLake Hallie 61Rice Lake: 96 mg/LRice Lake 96Eau Claire: 101 mg/LEau Claire 101Menomonie: 150 mg/LMenomonie 150River Falls: 180 mg/LRiver Falls 180New Richmond: 194 mg/LNew Richmond 194Marshfield: 249 mg/LMarshfield 249Holmen: 319 mg/LHolmen 319Onalaska: 337 mg/LOnalaska 337Altoona 102mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WI 170Chippewa Falls: 49 mg/LChippewa F. 49Lake Hallie: 61 mg/LLake Hallie 61Rice Lake: 96 mg/LRice Lake 96Eau Claire: 101 mg/LEau Claire 101Menomonie: 150 mg/LMenomonie 150Holmen: 319 mg/LHolmen 319102 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

At 102 mg/L, Altoona is 68 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 49 mg/L in Chippewa Falls to 337 in Onalaska.

What 102 mg/L means at home

You may see faint white spots on glasses and shower doors after the water dries.

Scale builds up slowly. A kettle or coffee maker needs descaling now and then, maybe every few months.

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

Optional. Plenty of households at this level live with it and descale the kettle now and then.

Water softener

Worth a look if spots on glass bother you, or if your tankless water heater manual asks for softer water.

Carbon filter

Improves taste and removes chlorine. It leaves calcium and magnesium in place.

Softener size for Altoona

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.9 gpg = 1,336 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 17 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Altoona's water system

Altoona Waterworks · PWSID WI6180280

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 9,627 people from groundwater.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
1
Open now
1

EPA lists Altoona Waterworks as the system serving Altoona. The hardness figure above comes from a different system's report, which TapWaterData uses for Altoona.

20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper Rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling12024Resolved

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 Altoona water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 102 mg/L (5.9 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Altoona in grains per gallon?

About 5.9 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 102 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.9.

What size water softener do I need in Altoona?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.9 gpg works out to about 1,336 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 17 days.

Has the Altoona water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Altoona 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

All 112 cities in Wisconsin

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, September 16, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.