How hard is the water in Elkhorn, WI?

Tap water hardness
88mg/L
5.1gpg
Moderately hardReports range 39–88

Reported by Elkhorn Waterworks · November 2022

WI typical
170 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
6
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Elkhorn carries roughly 88 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 5.1 grains per gallon. That is moderately hard water. The number comes from Elkhorn Waterworks, dated November 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 39 to 88 mg/L.

Elkhorn on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WI typical 170Burlington: 248 mg/LBurlington 248Muskego: 276 mg/LMuskego 276Fort Atkinson: 278 mg/LFort Atkinson 278Jefferson: 280 mg/LJefferson 280Janesville: 298 mg/LJanesville 298Union Grove: 313 mg/LUnion Grove 313Whitewater: 323 mg/LWhitewater 323Beloit: 333 mg/LBeloit 333Milton: 342 mg/LMilton 342Delavan: 360 mg/LDelavan 360Elkhorn 88mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WI 170Burlington: 248 mg/LBurlington 248Fort Atkinson: 278 mg/LFort Atkin. 278Janesville: 298 mg/LJanesville 298Whitewater: 323 mg/LWhitewater 323Milton: 342 mg/LMilton 342Delavan: 360 mg/LDelavan 36088 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Elkhorn sits 82 mg/L below the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. None of the 10 nearest cities we track has softer water. The range nearby runs from 248 mg/L in Burlington to 360 in Delavan.

What 88 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 Elkhorn

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.1 gpg = 1,156 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Elkhorn's water system

Elkhorn Waterworks · PWSID WI2650062

6 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 10,317 people from groundwater.

Health-based
6
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
0
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper RuleCombined radiumArsenic'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper RuleCombined radiumArsenic
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 sampling12020–2022Resolved
Combined radiumnaturally occurring radioactivity42019–2021Resolved
Arsenicnaturally occurring metal12018Resolved

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 Elkhorn water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 88 mg/L (5.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

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

About 5.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 88 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.1.

What size water softener do I need in Elkhorn?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.1 gpg works out to about 1,156 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Elkhorn water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 6 health-based violations for Elkhorn Waterworks since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule, Combined radium, Arsenic. 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, November 3, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.