Hard water in Menasha, WI

Tap water hardness
166mg/L
9.7gpg
Hard

Reported by Menasha Elec & Water Util · February 2024

WI typical
170 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
0
Softener for 3 people
24k grain
Data
Utility report

Tap water in Menasha has about 166 mg/L of hardness, which is 9.7 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Menasha Elec & Water Util, dated February 2024.

Menasha on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+WI typical 170Neenah: 67 mg/LNeenah 67Kimberly: 73 mg/LKimberly 73Appleton: 81 mg/LAppleton 81Little Chute: 87 mg/LLittle Chute 87Allouez: 136 mg/LAllouez 136Oshkosh: 145 mg/LOshkosh 145Greenville: 152 mg/LGreenville 152Fox Crossing: 166 mg/LFox Crossing 166De Pere: 194 mg/LDe Pere 194New London: 279 mg/LNew London 279Menasha 166mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+WI 170Neenah: 67 mg/LNeenah 67Kimberly: 73 mg/LKimberly 73Appleton: 81 mg/LAppleton 81Little Chute: 87 mg/LLittle Chu. 87Greenville: 152 mg/LGreenville 152Fox Crossing: 166 mg/LFox Crossi. 166166 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 166 mg/L, Menasha is close to the typical Wisconsin figure of 170 mg/L. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 67 mg/L in Neenah to 279 in New London.

What 166 mg/L means at home

Expect white crust on faucets and showerheads, plus spots on dishes that come out of the dishwasher.

Kettles collect scale quickly. Water heaters build up sediment at the bottom of the tank, which makes them work harder over time.

Soap and detergent need a little more to lather, and soap scum shows up in the tub.

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 166 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 Menasha

3 people × 75 gallons a day × 9.7 gpg = 2,185 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 10 days.

Size it for your household

EPA record for Menasha's water system

Menasha Elec & Water Util · PWSID WI4710334

No health-based violations since 2016

Serves about 15,144 people from surface water.

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 Menasha water hard?

Yes. It measures about 166 mg/L (9.7 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.

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

About 9.7 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 166 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 9.7.

What size water softener do I need in Menasha?

For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 9.7 gpg works out to about 2,185 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 10 days.

Has the Menasha water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show no health-based violations for Menasha Elec & Water Util since 2016.

Nearby cities

All 112 cities in Wisconsin

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, February 25, 2024), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.