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Is La Crosse Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Yes! Generally Safe to Drink*

LAST UPDATED: 7:47 pm, July 20, 2022
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Table of Contents

Can You Drink Tap Water in La Crosse?

Yes, La Crosse's tap water is generally considered safe to drink as La Crosse has no active health based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) that we are aware of. Other factors such as lead piping in a home, or low levels of pollutants on immunocompromised individuals, should also be considered, however. To find more recent info we might have, you can check out our boil water notice page or the city's water provider website.

According the EPA’s ECHO database, from April 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022, La Crosse's water utility, La Crosse Waterworks, had 2 non-health-based violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act. For more details on the violations, please see our violation history section below. The last violation for La Crosse was resolved on May 31, 2020. This assessment is based on the La Crosse Waterworks water system, other water systems in the city may have different results.

While tap water that meets the EPA health guidelines generally won’t make you sick to your stomach, it can still contain regulated and unregulated contaminants present in trace amounts that could potentially cause health issues over the long-run. These trace contaminants may also impact immunocompromised and vulnerable individuals.

The EPA is reviewing if it’s current regulations around pollutant levels in tap water are strict enough, and the health dangers posed by unregulated pollutants, like PFAS.

La Crosse Tap Water Safe Drinking Water Act Violation History - Prior 10 Years

Below is a ten year history of violations for the water system named La Crosse Waterworks for La Crosse in Wisconsin. For more details please see the "What do these Violations Mean?" section below.

For the compliance period beginning Feb. 1, 2021, La Crosse had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Lead Consumer Notice which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Lead and Copper Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: Lead and Copper Rule.

For the compliance period beginning Oct. 1, 2019, La Crosse had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Other Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation which falls into the Other rule code group, and the Public Notice Rule rule code family for the following contaminant code: Public Notice.

From Jan. 1, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2019, La Crosse had 1 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violation with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Monitoring, Regular which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Inorganic Chemicals rule code family for the following contaminant code: Nitrate.

For the compliance period beginning Oct. 1, 2017, La Crosse had 6 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Other Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation which falls into the Other rule code group, and the Public Notice Rule rule code family for the following contaminant codes: Public Notice, Public Notice, Public Notice, Public Notice, Public Notice, Public Notice.

From June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2020, La Crosse had 6 non-health based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Monitoring and Reporting, more specifically, the violation code was Water Quality Parameter M/R which falls into the Chemicals rule code group, and the Lead and Copper Rule rule code family for the following contaminant codes: Lead and Copper Rule, Lead and Copper Rule, Lead and Copper Rule, Lead and Copper Rule, Lead and Copper Rule, Lead and Copper Rule.

For the compliance period beginning March 16, 2013, La Crosse had 2 health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations with the violation category being Treatment Technique Violation, more specifically, the violation code was Failure To Address Deficiency which falls into the Microbials rule code group, and the Groundwater Rule rule code family for the following contaminant codes: Groundwater Rule, Groundwater Rule.

Is there Lead in La Crosse Water?

Based on the EPA’s ECHO Database, 90% of the samples taken from the La Crosse water system, La Crosse Waterworks, between sample start date and sample end date, were at or below, 0.00179 mg/L of lead in La Crosse water. This is 11.9% of the 0.015 mg/L action level. This means 10% of the samples taken from La Crosse contained more lead.

While La Crosse water testing may have found 0.00179 mg/L of lead in its water, that does not mean your water source has the same amount. The amount of lead in water in a city can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, or even building to building. Many buildings, particularly older ones, have lead pipes or service lines which can be a source of contamination. To find out if your home has lead, we recommend getting you water tested.

No amount of lead in water is healthy, only less dangerous. As lead accumulates in our bodies over time, even exposure to relatively small amounts can have negative health effects. For more information, please check out our Lead FAQ page.

Are there PFAS in La Crosse Tap Water?

Currently, testing tap water for PFAS isn’t mandated on a national level. We do have a list of military bases where there have been suspected or confirmed leaks. There appears to be at least one military base - Fort McCoy - near La Crosse with suspected leaks.

With many potential sources of PFAS in tap water across the US, the best information we currently have about which cities have PFAS in their water is this ewg map, which you can check to see if La Crosse has been evaluated for yet.

Our stance is better safe than sorry, and that it makes sense to try to purify the tap water just in case.

La Crosse SDWA Violation History Table - Prior 10 Years

Compliance Period Status Health-Based? Category Code Code Rule Code Contaminant Code Rule Group Code Rule Family Code
02/01/2021 - Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Lead Consumer Notice (66) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
10/01/2019 - Resolved No Other Violation (Other) Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation (75) Public Notice Rule (410) Public Notice (7500) Other (400) Public Notice Rule (410)
01/01/2019 - 12/31/2019 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Monitoring, Regular (03) Nitrates (331) Nitrate (1040) Chemicals (300) Inorganic Chemicals (330)
10/01/2017 - Resolved No Other Violation (Other) Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation (75) Public Notice Rule (410) Public Notice (7500) Other (400) Public Notice Rule (410)
10/01/2017 - Resolved No Other Violation (Other) Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation (75) Public Notice Rule (410) Public Notice (7500) Other (400) Public Notice Rule (410)
10/01/2017 - Resolved No Other Violation (Other) Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation (75) Public Notice Rule (410) Public Notice (7500) Other (400) Public Notice Rule (410)
10/01/2017 - Resolved No Other Violation (Other) Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation (75) Public Notice Rule (410) Public Notice (7500) Other (400) Public Notice Rule (410)
10/01/2017 - Resolved No Other Violation (Other) Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation (75) Public Notice Rule (410) Public Notice (7500) Other (400) Public Notice Rule (410)
10/01/2017 - Resolved No Other Violation (Other) Public Notification Violation for NPDWR Violation (75) Public Notice Rule (410) Public Notice (7500) Other (400) Public Notice Rule (410)
06/01/2017 - 05/31/2020 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Water Quality Parameter M/R (53) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
06/01/2017 - 05/31/2020 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Water Quality Parameter M/R (53) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
06/01/2017 - 05/31/2020 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Water Quality Parameter M/R (53) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
06/01/2017 - 05/31/2020 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Water Quality Parameter M/R (53) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
06/01/2017 - 05/31/2020 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Water Quality Parameter M/R (53) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
06/01/2017 - 05/31/2020 Resolved No Monitoring and Reporting (MR) Water Quality Parameter M/R (53) Lead and Copper Rule (350) Lead and Copper Rule (5000) Chemicals (300) Lead and Copper Rule (350)
03/16/2013 - Resolved Yes Treatment Technique Violation (TT) Failure To Address Deficiency (45) Ground Water Rule (140) Groundwater Rule (0700) Microbials (100) Groundwater Rule (140)
03/16/2013 - Resolved Yes Treatment Technique Violation (TT) Failure To Address Deficiency (45) Ground Water Rule (140) Groundwater Rule (0700) Microbials (100) Groundwater Rule (140)

What do these Violations Mean?

Safe Drinking Water Act Violations categories split into two groups, health based, and non-health based. Generally, health based violations are more serious, though non-health based violations can also be cause for concern.

Health Based Violations

  1. Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) - maximum allowed contaminant level was exceeded.
  2. Maximum residual disinfectant levels (MRDLs) - maximum allowed disinfectant level was exceeded.
  3. Other violations (Other) - the exact required process to reduce the amounts of contaminants in drinking water was not followed.

Non-Health Based Violations

  1. Monitoring and reporting violations (MR, MON) - failure to conduct the required regular monitoring of drinking water quality, and/or to submit monitoring results on time.
  2. Public notice violations (Other) - failure to immediately alert consumers if there is a serious problem with their drinking water that may pose a risk to public health.
  3. Other violations (Other) - miscellaneous violations, such as failure to issue annual consumer confidence reports or maintain required records.

SDWA Table Key

Field Description
Compliance Period Dates of the compliance period.
Status Current status of the violation.
  • Resolved - The violation has at least one resolving enforcement action. In SDWIS, this indicates that either the system has returned to compliance from the violation, the rule that was violated was no longer applicable, or no further action was needed.
  • Archived - The violation is not Resolved, but is more than five years past its compliance period end date. In keeping with the Enforcement Response Policy, the violation no longer contributes to the public water system's overall compliance status. Unresolved violations are also marked as Archived when a system ceases operations (becomes inactive).
  • Addressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and is addressed by one or more formal enforcement actions.
  • Unaddressed - The violation is not Resolved or Archived, and has not been addressed by formal enforcement.
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Health-Based? Whether the violation is health based.
Category Code
The category of violation that is reported.
  • TT - Treatment Technique Violation
  • MRDL - Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level
  • Other - Other Violation
  • MCL - Maximum Contaminant Level Violation
  • MR - Monitoring and Reporting
  • MON - Monitoring Violation
  • RPT - Reporting Violation
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Code A full description of violation codes can be accessed in the SDWA_REF_CODE_VALUES (CSV) table.
Contaminant Code A code value that represents a contaminant for which a public water system has incurred a violation of a primary drinking water regulation.
Rule Code Code for a National Drinking Water rule.
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rule
  • 121 - Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 122 - Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 123 - Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Ground Water Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 331 - Nitrates
  • 332 - Arsenic
  • 333 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 111 - Revised Total Coliform Rule
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Rule Group Code Code that uniquely identifies a rule group.
  • 120 - Surface Water Treatment Rules
  • 130 - Filter Backwash Rule
  • 140 - Groundwater Rule
  • 210 - Stage 1 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 220 - Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 230 - Total Trihalomethanes
  • 310 - Volatile Organic Chemicals
  • 320 - Synthetic Organic Chemicals
  • 330 - Inorganic Chemicals
  • 340 - Radionuclides
  • 350 - Lead and Copper Rule
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
  • 110 - Total Coliform Rules
  • 410 - Public Notice Rule
  • 420 - Consumer Confidence Rule
  • 430 - Miscellaneous
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Rule Family Code Code for rule family.
  • 100 - Microbials
  • 200 - Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule
  • 300 - Chemicals
  • 400 - Other
  • 500 - Not Regulated
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For more clarification please visit the EPA's data dictionary.

La Crosse Water - Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I CONTACT LA CROSSE CUSTOMER SERVICE?
To contact customer service for the La Crosse water provider, La Crosse Waterworks, please use the information below.
By Mail: CITY HALL
400 LA CROSSE ST
La Crosse, WI, 54601
HOW TO PAY BILL FOR LA CROSSE WATERWORKS
Already have an account?

Existing customers can login to their La Crosse Waterworks account to pay their La Crosse water bill by clicking here.

Want to create a new account?

If you want to pay your La Crosse Waterworks bill online and haven't made an account yet, you can create an account online. Please click here to create your account to pay your La Crosse water bill.

Want to pay without an account?

If you don't want to make an account, or can't remember your account, you can make a one-time payment towards your La Crosse water bill without creating an account using a one time payment portal with your account number and credit or debit card. Click here to make a one time payment.

HOW TO START & STOP LA CROSSE WATER SERVICE
Starting Your Service

Moving to a new house or apartment in La Crosse means you will often need to put the water in your name with La Crosse Waterworks. In order to put the water in your name, please click the link to the start service form below. Start service requests for water bills typically take two business days.

Start Service Form

Want to create a new account?

Leaving your house or apartment in La Crosse means you will likely need to take your name off of the water bill with La Crosse Waterworks. In order to take your name off the water bill, please click the link to the stop service form below. Stop service for water bills requests typically take two business days.

Stop Service Form

The estimated price of bottled water

$2 in USD (1.5-liter)

USER SUBMITTED RATINGS

La Crosse tap water
  • Drinking Water Pollution and Inaccessibility 50% Moderate
  • Water Pollution 50% Moderate
  • Drinking Water Quality and Accessibility 50% Moderate
  • Water Quality 50% Moderate

The above data is comprised of subjective, user submitted opinions about the water quality and pollution in La Crosse, measured on a scale from 0% (lowest) to 100% (highest).

Related FAQS

Contaminants


La Crosse Waterworks

EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.

Utility details

  • Serves: 53000
  • Data available: 2012-2017
  • Data Source: Groundwater
  • Total: 37

Contaminants That Exceed Guidelines

  • Arsenic
  • Bromodichloromethane
  • Cadmium
  • Chloroform
  • Chromium (hexavalent)
  • Dibromochloromethane
  • Nitrate
  • Nitrate and nitrite
  • Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
  • Radium%2C combined (-226 & -228)
  • Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene)
  • Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
  • Trichloroacetic acid

Other Detected Contaminants

  • 1%2C4-Dioxane
  • Aluminum
  • Barium
  • Bromoform
  • Chlorate
  • Chlorodifluoromethane
  • Chromium (total)
  • Dibromoacetic acid
  • Dichloroacetic acid
  • Fluoride
  • Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
  • Manganese
  • Mercury (inorganic)
  • Molybdenum
  • Monobromoacetic acid
  • Monochloroacetic acid
  • Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHXS)
  • Selenium
  • Silver
  • Strontium
  • Thallium
  • Trichloroethylene
  • Uranium
  • Vanadium

Reminder

Always take extra precautions, the water may be safe to drink when it leaves the sewage treatment plant but it may pick up pollutants during its way to your tap. We advise that you ask locals or hotel staff about the water quality. Also, note that different cities have different water mineral contents.

Sources and Resources

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