How to read Germantown's six-well hardness average
Germantown's published water quality figures put hardness at 24 grains, one average standing in for all six village wells. Three questions get the most out of it: what it averages, when it was measured, and which water it leaves out.
Call (262) 829-5961Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pmFind the hardness entry, and note its unit
In the Village's published water quality figures, hardness appears in grains per gallon: 24. Softener settings are normally entered in grains as well, so the number is usable as printed.
Lab sheets, and plenty of other utilities, print hardness as milligrams per liter. Going from grains to milligrams per liter means multiplying by 17.1; going the other way means dividing by it.
Ask what it averages
The 24 is a combined average of all six municipal wells. Any average is built from parts that differ, so some wells will sit above it and some below, and the figure describes the system rather than any single well.
What it cannot tell you is which side of the average your street falls on, because the published figure does not tie a well to a neighborhood. Treat it as the value to expect, and leave room for your own faucet to differ.
Ask when it was measured
The samples behind the average date from October 6, 2018. A dated figure can still be a sound starting point for sizing; it is a snapshot of village water on that day, not a reading of your faucet this week.
If your own water has been tested more recently, bring that result to the call as well; it sits beside the Village's number, not under it.
Ask which water it leaves out
Only water pumped by the six village wells is inside the average. A well on a Town of Germantown property, or anywhere else off the mains, sits outside it, and its hardness has to come from its own lab sheet or a faucet test.
The figure to read us when you phone
On the village mains, say so and give the address; the 24-grain average supplies the rest of the starting point. Any test of your own goes in too, read out with its unit.
In a house that draws from a private well, set the Village figure aside entirely and read us the hardness entry from the well's lab sheet, exactly as printed.
Common questions
Where does the Village publish its hardness figure?
In its published water quality figures, which list 24 grains as a combined average of all six wells, sampled on October 6, 2018.
Is a figure from 2018 still worth using?
As a starting point for sizing, yes. The softener gets set from the reading taken at your faucet on install day, and the visit ends with a retest that shows zero.
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- Germantown softener settings, from 24 grains to your faucet
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