Hard water in Suamico, WI
Reported by Suamico Waterworks · August 2022
- WI typical
- 170 mg/L
- EPA health violations since 2016
- 1
- Softener for 3 people
- 24k grain
- Data
- Utility report
Suamico water measures 196 mg/L (11.5 gpg) of hardness, very hard by USGS standards. The number comes from Suamico Waterworks, dated August 2022.
At 196 mg/L, Suamico is 26 mg/L above the typical Wisconsin figure of 170. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 9 have softer water and 1 has harder. The range nearby runs from 73 mg/L in Kimberly to 332 in Sturgeon Bay.
What 196 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 196 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 × 11.5 gpg = 2,578 grains a day. A 24,000-grain unit regenerates about every 9 days.
EPA record for Suamico's water system
1 health-based violation since 2016
Serves about 4,697 people from groundwater.
- Health-based
- 1
- Monitoring or reporting
- 0
- Open now
- 0
| Contaminant or rule | Violations | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined radiumnaturally occurring radioactivity | 1 | 2017 | 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 Suamico water hard?
Yes. It measures about 196 mg/L (11.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as very hard.
What is the water hardness in Suamico in grains per gallon?
About 11.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 196 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 11.5.
What size water softener do I need in Suamico?
For 3 people using 75 gallons each per day, 11.5 gpg works out to about 2,578 grains a day. A 24,000-grain softener covers that with a regeneration about every 9 days.
Has the Suamico water system had EPA violations?
EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Suamico Waterworks since 2016, involving Combined radium.
Nearby cities
- Green Bay137 mg/LHard
- Allouez136 mg/LHard
- De Pere194 mg/LVery hard
- Little Chute87 mg/LModerately hard
- Kimberly73 mg/LModerately hard
- Appleton81 mg/LModerately hard
- Menasha166 mg/LHard
- Greenville152 mg/LHard
- Sturgeon Bay332 mg/LVery hard
- Fox Crossing166 mg/LHard
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 9, 2022), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.