Is La Crosse, WI tap water safe?
Supplied by La Crosse Waterworks · serves 53,000 people (16,176 connections) · Groundwater · EPA ID WI6320309
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
Most of La Crosse gets its water from La Crosse Waterworks. Parts of the city are served by 10 smaller systems: Shelby Tn of Wedgewood Vly Water System (1,020 people), St Joseph San District 1 (503 people), La Crosse Estates LLC (351 people), Coulee Creek Estates Bv Water System (300 people) and 6 more. Your water bill names your system.
Summary
PFAS above the 2024 federal limits. Systems have until 2029 to meet the PFAS limits.
Is it an emergency? No: PFAS limits are about years of exposure, not a glass of water, and nothing in EPA's data calls for you to stop drinking the water today. If your utility ever issues a boil-water or do-not-drink notice, follow it.
- PFAS
- Above limitPFOA, PFOS above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 4.75 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, PFOS 4.9 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level1.34 ppb (parts per billion) at the 90th percentile: 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below it. Action level 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in Nov 2027. Monitoring period ending Jun 2026. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- None health-basedNo health-based violations since 2016.
- Pregnant, or mixing baby formula with tap water? Babies drink more water for their size, so PFAS exposure matters more for them. Consider bottled water or a filter certified for PFAS for formula, and ask your doctor. Health effects.
- To lower your PFAS exposure now, a home filter certified for PFAS reduction works (reverse osmosis, or activated carbon certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58). Filters for these results.
- Built before 1986, or not sure what your service line is made of? Check your service line and test your tap. Utility data can't show your pipes.
- Tested your own tap? Compare your result with these numbers. Moving? Compare this system with another.
- Read La Crosse Waterworks's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report). It lists every regulated contaminant tested and is usually on the utility's website or mailed with your bill. EPA: how to find it.
PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
EPA UCMR 5: 10 entry points tested May 2023 to May 2024. "Average" is the highest entry-point average (non-detects counted as zero), the way EPA compares UCMR 5 results to the limits. ppt = parts per trillion. These results do not determine compliance.
| Contaminant | Highest average |
|---|---|
| PFOA Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 4.75 ppt 1.19× the limit |
| PFOS Above limit Limit 4 ppt | 4.9 ppt 1.22× the limit |
| PFHxS Detected, below limit Limit 10 ppt | 7.7 ppt 77% of the limit |
| PFNA Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| HFPO-DA (GenX) Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| Hazard Index (a combined score for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS, where above 1 is over the limit) Detected, below limit Limit 1 | 0.77 |
| PFBS Detected, below limit Guideline 2,000 ppt | 13.5 ppt |
| PFBA Detected, below limit Guideline 6,000 ppt | 19.5 ppt |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 1.85 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 3.55 ppt |
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 95% of the Wisconsin systems EPA tested and the PFOS average is higher than at 95% of the Wisconsin systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 7 detected at least once. "Not detected" means below EPA's reporting limit (about 2 to 20 ppt depending on the chemical), not proven zero. PFAS not listed were not detected. The limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and the Hazard Index were proposed for rescission in May 2026. That proposal is not final. Systems have until 2029 to meet the limits.
Lithium
Not detected in 20 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1.34 ppb lead (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 10.9 ppb (Sep 2025).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jan 2026 – Jun 2026 | 1.34 ppb |
| Jun 2025 – Sep 2025 | 10.9 ppb |
| Jan 2023 – Jun 2023 | 0 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jul 2022 – Dec 2022 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Oct 2020 | 1.79 ppb |
| Jun 2017 – Sep 2017 | 2.27 ppb |
| Jun 2014 – Sep 2014 | 2.93 ppb |
| Jun 2011 – Sep 2011 | 3 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2008 | 2.2 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 5.9 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 9.4 ppb |
| Jul 1999 – Dec 1999 | 7.9 ppb |
Lead comes from pipes and fixtures, not the source water, so it varies home to home. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 sampled homes were at or below it. More on lead.
Violations
Health-based violations mean a contaminant exceeded a limit or a required treatment step was missed. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or reports were late or missing, so the water's quality during that time is unknown. The total includes every violation in EPA's records, most of them paperwork.
Earlier EPA testing (2013–2020)
| Contaminant | Highest | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese | 482 ppb | 300 ppb |
| 1,4-Dioxane | 0.22 ppb | 0.35 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.17 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 38 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 1.6 ppb | – |
| Vanadium | 3.2 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Molybdenum | 1.1 ppb | 40 ppb |
Where it serves
La Crosse
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 54601, 54603
Nearby utilities
- Prairie du Chien Waterworks Prairie du Chien · 52 mi · PFAS above limit
- Eau Claire Waterworks Eau Claire · 70 mi
- Hartland Waterworks Hartland · 83 mi · PFAS above limit
- Prescott Waterworks Prescott · 101 mi · PFAS above limit
- Madison Water Utility Madison · 103 mi
- Schofield Waterworks Schofield · 110 mi · PFAS above limit
Questions
Is La Crosse tap water safe to drink?
Most of La Crosse gets its water from La Crosse Waterworks. La Crosse Waterworks has no health-based violations since 2016. EPA testing found PFAS above the 2024 federal limits, which systems must meet by 2029. Federal data can't tell you about your own pipes: lead comes from service lines and plumbing, so test your tap if your home was built before 1986. For the official word, read the utility's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Does La Crosse water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of La Crosse Waterworks found 7 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA and PFOS: PFOA 4.75 ppt, PFOS 4.9 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in La Crosse water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for La Crosse Waterworks is 1.34 ppb, for the period ending Jun 2026. The federal action level is 15 ppb, falling to 10 ppb in November 2027. The 90th percentile means 9 in 10 homes sampled were at or below this number. Individual homes can be higher.
Check these numbers yourself
Every figure on this page comes from public EPA records. You don't have to take our word for it:
- EPA's own report for WI6320309: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID WI6320309).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask La Crosse Waterworks, or see EPA's guide to finding it.
Found something that doesn't match? Tell us and we'll check it against EPA's records. How we check our data.
Source: U.S. EPA drinking water records and PFAS testing (UCMR 5). How we read the data.