Hard water in New Richmond, WI
Reported by New Richmond Waterworks · November 2022
- WI typical
- 170 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
The water in New Richmond carries roughly 194 mg/L of dissolved calcium and magnesium, or 11.3 grains per gallon. That is very hard water. The number comes from New Richmond Waterworks, dated November 2022.
New Richmond sits 24 mg/L above the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 7 have softer water and 3 have harder. The range nearby runs from 49 mg/L in Chippewa Falls to 337 in Onalaska.
What 194 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 194 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 × 11.3 gpg = 2,554 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 9 days.
EPA record for New Richmond's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 10,824 people from groundwater.
- 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 New Richmond water hard?
Yes. It measures about 194 mg/L (11.3 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in New Richmond in grains per gallon?
About 11.3 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 194 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 11.3.
What size water softener do I need in New Richmond?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 11.3 gpg works out to about 2,554 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 9 days.
Has the New Richmond water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for New Richmond Waterworks since 2016.
Nearby cities
- Hudson210 mg/LVery hard
- River Falls180 mg/LHard
- Menomonie150 mg/LHard
- Rice Lake96 mg/LModerately hard
- Eau Claire101 mg/LModerately hard
- Lake Hallie61 mg/LModerately hard
- Chippewa Falls49 mg/LSoft
- Altoona102 mg/LModerately hard
- Holmen319 mg/LVery hard
- Onalaska337 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, November 7, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.