Hard water in Rothschild, WI
Reported by Rothschild Waterworks · August 2022
- WI typical
- 170 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Tap water in Rothschild has about 157 mg/L of hardness, which is 9.2 grains per gallon. On the USGS scale that counts as hard. The number comes from Rothschild Waterworks, dated August 2022. Reports for this system disagree, with values from 104 to 157 mg/L.
At 157 mg/L, Rothschild is 13 mg/L below 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 32 mg/L in Wausau to 260 in Plover.
What 157 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 157 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 × 9.2 gpg = 2,066 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 11 days.
EPA record for Rothschild's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 3,190 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 1
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead and Copper Rulecorrosion control and lead sampling | 1 | 2024 | Resolved |
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 Rothschild water hard?
Yes. It measures about 157 mg/L (9.2 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as hard.
What is the water hardness in Rothschild in grains per gallon?
About 9.2 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 157 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 9.2.
What size water softener do I need in Rothschild?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 9.2 gpg works out to about 2,066 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 11 days.
Has the Rothschild water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Rothschild 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
- Rib Mountain90 mg/LModerately hard
- Weston136 mg/LHard
- Kronenwetter150 mg/LHard
- Wausau32 mg/LSoft
- Merrill116 mg/LModerately hard
- Stevens Point173 mg/LHard
- Plover260 mg/LVery hard
- Marshfield249 mg/LVery hard
- Wisconsin Rapids62 mg/LModerately hard
- Rhinelander76 mg/LModerately hard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 16, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.