Rhinelander Water & Wastewater water quality
Rhinelander, WI · serves 8,234 people (3,553 connections) · Groundwater · Local government · EPA ID WI7440126
Data: U.S. EPA · How we read the data · How we check it
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 above the federal limit in EPA's 2023–2025 testing (PFOA 6.15 ppt vs a limit of 4 ppt, where ppt = parts per trillion).
- Lead
- Below action level1 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 Sep 2023. Your home's pipes can make yours higher.
- Violations
- Resolved1 health-based violation since 2016, most recently Oct 2024.
- 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 Rhinelander Water & Wastewater'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: 2 entry points tested Feb 2024 to Aug 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 | 6.15 ppt 1.54× the limit |
| PFOS Not detected Limit 4 ppt | – |
| PFHxS Not detected Limit 10 ppt | – |
| 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) Not detected Limit 1 | – |
| PFBS Not detected Guideline 2,000 ppt | – |
| PFBA Not detected Guideline 6,000 ppt | – |
| PFHxA Detected, below limit Guideline 3,000 ppt | 7.45 ppt |
| PFPeA Detected, no limit | 6.55 ppt |
| PFHpA Detected, no limit | 3.6 ppt |
For context: the PFOA average is higher than at 97% of the Wisconsin systems EPA tested.
29 PFAS tested, 4 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 4 samples (reporting limit 9 ppb). About lithium.
Lead and copper
Latest 90th percentile: 1 ppb lead (Jun 2023 – Sep 2023). Below action level
Highest since 2016: 1.7 ppb (Sep 2017).
| Monitoring period | Lead (90th pct.) |
|---|---|
| Jun 2023 – Sep 2023 | 1 ppb |
| Jul 2020 – Oct 2020 | 1.5 ppb |
| Jun 2017 – Sep 2017 | 1.7 ppb |
Earlier results (9)
| Jun 2014 – Sep 2014 | 1.9 ppb |
| Jun 2011 – Sep 2011 | 1.8 ppb |
| Sep 2009 – Dec 2009 | 4.2 ppb |
| Jan 2008 – Dec 2008 | 5.9 ppb |
| Jan 2005 – Dec 2005 | 0.85 ppb |
| Jan 2002 – Dec 2002 | 1.9 ppb |
| Jul 1999 – Dec 1999 | 0 ppb |
| Jul 1996 – Dec 1996 | 1.1 ppb |
| Jul 1995 – Dec 1995 | 2.1 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
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | The system did not publish the required inventory of lead service lines (due October 2024). It says nothing about lead levels in the water. EPA record: Lead and copper rule revisions · LSL Inventory Resolved |
1 unresolved monitoring or reporting violation: Public Notice.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Vanadium | 1.4 ppb | 21 ppb |
| Manganese | 140 ppb | 300 ppb |
| Strontium | 0.16 ppm | 1.5 ppm |
| Chlorate | 340 ppb | 210 ppb |
| Chromium-6 | 2.56 ppb | – |
Where it serves
Rhinelander
ZIP codes the system reported serving: 54501
Nearby utilities
- Tomahawk Waterworks Tomahawk · 28 mi · PFAS above limit
- Rib Mountain Water Utility Wausau · 48 mi · PFAS above limit
- Schofield Waterworks Schofield · 51 mi · PFAS above limit
- Weston Municipal Utilities Weston · 52 mi · PFAS above limit
- Waupaca Waterworks Waupaca · 89 mi · PFAS above limit
- Green Bay Waterworks Green Bay · 104 mi
Questions
Is Rhinelander Water & Wastewater water safe to drink?
Rhinelander Water & Wastewater had 1 health-based violation since 2016, all since resolved. 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 Rhinelander Water & Wastewater water have PFAS?
Yes. EPA's 2023–2025 testing of Rhinelander Water & Wastewater found 4 PFAS at least once. The highest entry-point averages were above the federal limit for PFOA: PFOA 6.15 ppt (limit 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, 10 ppt for the others).
What is the lead level in Rhinelander Water & Wastewater water?
The most recent 90th-percentile lead result for Rhinelander Water & Wastewater is 1 ppb, for the period ending Sep 2023. 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 WI7440126: violations, enforcement and inspections, straight from EPA.
- EPA UCMR 5 data: the PFAS and lithium results (search the file for PWSID WI7440126).
- EPA SDWIS download: the lead results, population and violation records we use.
- The utility's annual water quality report (Consumer Confidence Report): ask Rhinelander Water & Wastewater, 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.