Hard water in Jackson, WI

Tap water hardness
352mg/L
20.6gpg
Very hard

Reported by Jackson Waterworks · July 2025

WI typical
170 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
48k grain
Data
Utility report

The water in Jackson carries roughly 352 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 20.6 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from Jackson Waterworks, dated July 2025.

Jackson on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WI typical 170Menomonee Falls: 174 mg/LMenomonee Falls 174Lisbon: 332 mg/LLisbon 332Sussex: 332 mg/LSussex 332West Bend: 340 mg/LWest Bend 340Slinger: 485 mg/LSlinger 485Germantown: 422 mg/LGermantown 422Cedarburg: 400 mg/LCedarburg 400Mequon: 440 mg/LMequon 440Hartford: 426 mg/LHartford 426Grafton: 370 mg/LGrafton 370Jackson 352mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WI 170West Bend: 340 mg/LWest Bend 340Slinger: 485 mg/LSlinger 485Germantown: 422 mg/LGermantown 422Cedarburg: 400 mg/LCedarburg 400Mequon: 440 mg/LMequon 440Hartford: 426 mg/LHartford 426352 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Jackson sits 182 mg/L above 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 174 mg/L in Menomonee Falls to 485 in Slinger.

What 352 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 352 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 Jackson

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 20.6 gpg = 4,630 grains a day. A 48,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Jackson's water system

Jackson Waterworks · PWSID WI2670111

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 8,397 people from groundwater.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
2
Open now
0
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 Jackson water hard?

Yes. It measures about 352 mg/L (20.6 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.

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

About 20.6 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 352 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 20.6.

What size water softener do I need in Jackson?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 20.6 gpg works out to about 4,630 grains a day. A 48,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.

Has the Jackson water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Jackson Waterworks since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 2 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, July 15, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.