How hard is the water in Appleton, WI?

Tap water hardness
81mg/L
4.7gpg
Moderately hard

Reported by Appleton Waterworks · April 2025

WI typical
170 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Appleton carries roughly 81 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 4.7 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Appleton Waterworks, dated April 2025.

Appleton on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WI typical 170Neenah: 67 mg/LNeenah 67Kimberly: 73 mg/LKimberly 73Little Chute: 87 mg/LLittle Chute 87Allouez: 136 mg/LAllouez 136Oshkosh: 145 mg/LOshkosh 145Greenville: 152 mg/LGreenville 152Menasha: 166 mg/LMenasha 166Fox Crossing: 166 mg/LFox Crossing 166De Pere: 194 mg/LDe Pere 194New London: 279 mg/LNew London 279Appleton 81mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WI 170Neenah: 67 mg/LNeenah 67Kimberly: 73 mg/LKimberly 73Little Chute: 87 mg/LLittle Chu. 87Greenville: 152 mg/LGreenville 152Menasha: 166 mg/LMenasha 166Fox Crossing: 166 mg/LFox Crossi. 16681 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 81 mg/L, Appleton is 89 mg/L below the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 2 have softer water and 8 have harder. The range nearby runs from 67 mg/L in Neenah to 279 in New London.

What 81 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 Appleton

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 4.7 gpg = 1,066 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 22 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Appleton's water system

Appleton Waterworks · PWSID WI4450333

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 74,511 people from surface water.

Health-based
0
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0

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 Appleton water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 81 mg/L (4.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 4.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 81 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 4.7.

What size water softener do I need in Appleton?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 4.7 gpg works out to about 1,066 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 22 days.

Has the Appleton water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Appleton Waterworks since 2016. There were also 3 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 112 cities in Wisconsin

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, April 23, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.