Kenosha Water Hardness & Quality Report (2026)

Kenosha, Wisconsin, at the Wisconsin–Illinois border on Lake Michigan, draws its municipal water supply from Lake Michigan via the City of Kenosha Water Utility, operating an intake pipe extending into Lake Michigan at the Kenosha waterfront in Kenosha County. Lake Michigan water is treated at the Kenosha Water Treatment Plant before distribution throughout the city. Water hardness measures 108 mg/L — classified as moderately hard, consistent with Lake Michigan's typical mineral content.

Kenosha's moderately hard supply reflects Lake Michigan's natural water chemistry at the southern Wisconsin shoreline. Lake Michigan's mineral content results from its watershed geology — the lake is surrounded by the Silurian Niagara Dolomite escarpment (forming the Door Peninsula to the north), Devonian Detroit River Group and Bass Island Group carbonates (from the Michigan Basin to the east), and glacial carbonate till throughout the watershed. The open lake dilutes and averages the carbonate input from these watershed sources, producing the characteristic Lake Michigan hardness of 100–130 mg/L typical of the Wisconsin shore. Kenosha's 108 mg/L reading is consistent with Milwaukee (108 mg/L) and other southern Wisconsin Lake Michigan cities.

With hardness at 108 mg/L, Kenosha residents encounter moderate scale accumulation. Faucet aerators and showerheads develop deposits after several months — monthly cleaning with citric acid solution is practical maintenance. Dishwashers produce cleaner glassware with rinse-aid. City of Kenosha Water Utility consistently delivers water meeting all Wisconsin DNR and EPA Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.