Hard water in Fort Atkinson, WI
Reported by Fort Atkinson Waterworks · November 2024
- WI typical
- 170 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 32k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in Fort Atkinson carries roughly 278 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 16.3 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Fort Atkinson Waterworks, dated November 2024.
At 278 mg/L, Fort Atkinson is 108 mg/L above the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 1 has softer water and 9 have harder. The range nearby runs from 249 mg/L in Watertown to 347 in Cottage Grove.
What 278 mg/L means at home
Scale forms fast here. Kettles and coffee makers need regular descaling, and showerheads clog unless you clean them.
Tank water heaters collect mineral sediment that insulates the water from the burner, so flushing the tank matters more than usual.
Dishes and glass shower doors spot easily. Soap scum and a dull film on hair or laundry are common complaints.
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 278 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 × 16.3 gpg = 3,658 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.
EPA record for Fort Atkinson's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 12,390 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- 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 Fort Atkinson water hard?
Yes. It measures about 278 mg/L (16.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Fort Atkinson in grains per gallon?
About 16.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 278 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 16.3.
What size water softener do I need in Fort Atkinson?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 16.3 gpg works out to about 3,658 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.
Has the Fort Atkinson water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Fort Atkinson Waterworks since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Jefferson280 mg/LVery hard
- Whitewater323 mg/LVery hard
- Lake Mills324 mg/LVery hard
- Milton342 mg/LVery hard
- Edgerton291 mg/LVery hard
- Janesville298 mg/LVery hard
- Stoughton312 mg/LVery hard
- Watertown249 mg/LVery hard
- Oconomowoc310 mg/LVery hard
- Cottage Grove347 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, November 11, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.