Hard water in Holmen, WI

Tap water hardness
319mg/L
18.6gpg
Very hard

Reported by Holmen Waterworks · January 2024

WI typical
170 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
2
Softener for 3 people
32k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Holmen has about 319 mg/L of hardness, which is 18.6 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as very hard. The number comes from Holmen Waterworks, dated January 2024.

Holmen on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WI typical 170Chippewa Falls: 49 mg/LChippewa Falls 49Lake Hallie: 61 mg/LLake Hallie 61Eau Claire: 101 mg/LEau Claire 101Altoona: 102 mg/LAltoona 102Menomonie: 150 mg/LMenomonie 150Reedsburg: 162 mg/LReedsburg 162West Salem: 244 mg/LWest Salem 244Marshfield: 249 mg/LMarshfield 249La Crosse: 290 mg/LLa Crosse 290Onalaska: 337 mg/LOnalaska 337Holmen 319mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WI 170Lake Hallie: 61 mg/LLake Hallie 61Eau Claire: 101 mg/LEau Claire 101Altoona: 102 mg/LAltoona 102West Salem: 244 mg/LWest Salem 244La Crosse: 290 mg/LLa Crosse 290Onalaska: 337 mg/LOnalaska 337319 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 319 mg/L, Holmen is 149 mg/L above the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 49 mg/L in Chippewa Falls to 337 in Onalaska.

What 319 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 319 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.

Softener size for Holmen

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 18.6 gpg = 4,196 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 7 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Holmen's water system

Holmen Waterworks · PWSID WI6320306

2 health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 10,147 people from groundwater.

Health-based
2
Monitoring or reporting
32
Open now
2
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Lead and Copper RuleGroundwater Rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Lead and Copper RuleGroundwater 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
Groundwater Ruletreatment of well water12016Resolved

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 Holmen water hard?

Yes. It measures about 319 mg/L (18.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

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

About 18.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 319 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 18.6.

What size water softener do I need in Holmen?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 18.6 gpg works out to about 4,196 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 7 days.

Has the Holmen water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 2 health-based violations for Holmen Waterworks since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule, Groundwater Rule. There were also 32 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, January 23, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.