How hard is the water in Little Chute, WI?

Tap water hardness
87mg/L
5.1gpg
Moderately hardReports range 58–87

Reported by Little Chute Waterworks · August 2022

WI typical
170 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Little Chute water measures 87 mg/L (5.1 gpg) of hardness, moderately hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Little Chute Waterworks, dated August 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 58 to 87 mg/L.

Little Chute on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WI typical 170Neenah: 67 mg/LNeenah 67Kimberly: 73 mg/LKimberly 73Appleton: 81 mg/LAppleton 81Allouez: 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 279Little Chute 87mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WI 170Neenah: 67 mg/LNeenah 67Kimberly: 73 mg/LKimberly 73Appleton: 81 mg/LAppleton 81Greenville: 152 mg/LGreenville 152Menasha: 166 mg/LMenasha 166Fox Crossing: 166 mg/LFox Crossi. 16687 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 87 mg/L, Little Chute is 83 mg/L below the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 3 have softer water and 7 have harder. The range nearby runs from 67 mg/L in Neenah to 279 in New London.

What 87 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 Little Chute

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 5.1 gpg = 1,145 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 20 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Little Chute's water system

Little Chute Waterworks · PWSID WI4450338

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 12,168 people from groundwater.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
1
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 Little Chute water hard?

Somewhat. It measures about 87 mg/L (5.1 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as moderately hard.

What is the water hardness in Little Chute in grains per gallon?

About 5.1 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 87 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 5.1.

What size water softener do I need in Little Chute?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 5.1 gpg works out to about 1,145 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 20 days.

Has the Little Chute water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Little Chute Waterworks since 2016, involving Lead and Copper Rule. There were also 1 monitoring or reporting violation, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 112 cities in Wisconsin

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 8, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.