Hard water in Platteville, WI
Reported by Platteville Waterworks · August 2022
- WI typical
- 170 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 0
- Softener for 3 people
- 32k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Platteville has about 297 mg/L of hardness, which is 17.4 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as very hard. The number comes from Platteville Waterworks, dated August 2022.
At 297 mg/L, Platteville is 127 mg/L above the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 6 have softer water and 4 have harder. The range nearby runs from 162 mg/L in Reedsburg to 420 in Monona.
What 297 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 297 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 × 17.4 gpg = 3,908 grains a day. A 32,000-grain unit regenerates about every 8 days.
EPA record for Platteville's water system
No health-based violations since 2016
Serves about 12,268 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 0
- Monitoring or reporting
- 27
- 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 Platteville water hard?
Yes. It measures about 297 mg/L (17.4 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Platteville in grains per gallon?
About 17.4 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 297 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 17.4.
What size water softener do I need in Platteville?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 17.4 gpg works out to about 3,908 grains a day. A 32,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 8 days.
Has the Platteville water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show no health-based violations for Platteville Waterworks since 2016. There were also 27 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.
Nearby cities
- Monroe261 mg/LVery hard
- Verona360 mg/LVery hard
- Middleton337 mg/LVery hard
- Fitchburg270 mg/LVery hard
- Oregon283 mg/LVery hard
- Madison341 mg/LVery hard
- Waunakee282 mg/LVery hard
- Reedsburg162 mg/LHard
- Monona420 mg/LVery hard
- Baraboo240 mg/LVery hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 10, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.