Hard water in Menomonie, WI
Reported by Menomonie Waterworks · August 2022
- WI typical
- 170 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Menomonie has about 150 mg/L of hardness, which is 8.8 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Menomonie Waterworks, dated August 2022.
At 150 mg/L, Menomonie is 20 mg/L below the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 5 have softer water and 5 have harder. The range nearby runs from 49 mg/L in Chippewa Falls to 337 in Onalaska.
What 150 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 150 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 × 8.8 gpg = 1,973 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 12 days.
EPA record for Menomonie's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 15,950 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 21
- 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 Menomonie water hard?
Yes. It measures about 150 mg/L (8.8 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Menomonie in grains per gallon?
About 8.8 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 150 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 8.8.
What size water softener do I need in Menomonie?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 8.8 gpg works out to about 1,973 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 12 days.
Has the Menomonie water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Menomonie Waterworks since 2016. There were also 21 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Eau Claire101 mg/LModerately hard
- Altoona102 mg/LModerately hard
- Lake Hallie61 mg/LModerately hard
- Chippewa Falls49 mg/LSoft
- River Falls180 mg/LHard
- New Richmond194 mg/LVery hard
- Hudson210 mg/LVery hard
- Rice Lake96 mg/LModerately hard
- Holmen319 mg/LVery hard
- Onalaska337 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 17, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.